Background. One of the limitations of body mass index is its accuracy to assess body fatness. To address this limitation, a new index, body adiposity index, has been developed. However its validity needs to ascertained. Objective. Our aim was to investigate sex-specific relationship between BAI, BMI, and percent body fat in an endogamous population of Delhi, India. Method. Data was collected from 578 adults on bodyweight, height, skinfold thicknesses, hip circumference, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Pearson’s correlations were calculated for BAI and BMI with PBF. Differences in the correlation coefficients were examined using Fisher’s tests. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to compare the predictive validity and to determine optimal cut-off values. Odds ratios were calculated to assess the risk of having hypertension using the proposed cut-off points. Results. The correlations of PBF with BMI (men: ; women: ) were stronger than those with BAI (men: ; women: ). In men, the sensitivity and specificity of BAI to predict hypertension were higher than other anthropometric markers but lower than BMI. In women, the sensitivity of BAI was higher than BMI and WC. Conclusions. BAI can be used as an additional marker for screening population; however its validity needs to be demonstrated on other populations too. 1. Introduction The body mass index (BMI) is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual’s weight and height. It was invented by Adolphe Quetelet between 1830 and 1850 [1]; since then it has been used to assess body fat. BMI is a fascinating anthropometric index because it meets the first four requirements for an ideal method, that is, (1) initial cost, (2) training of the operator, (3) maintenance and operating costs, and (4) precision [2]. The two instruments (scale and anthropometer) that are required are inexpensive, require minimal training to use, and are virtually maintenance-free; repeat values can be obtained with good precision and with no fear of exposure hazard. It has been shown to correlate significantly with other measures of adiposity too [3]. A graded classification of overweight and obesity using BMI classification provides valuable information about increasing body fatness. It allows meaningful inter- and intrapopulation comparison of body weight and identifies individuals or groups at risk of morbidity and mortality, thus paving the way for the identification of priorities in intervention at an individual or community level and for evaluating the effectiveness of such
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