Comparison of DXA, Siri's 2C, and Lohman's Db-mineral models for estimating the body fat of physically active adults

The authors used 3-component (3C) Db-mineral-model (Lohman, 1986) reference measures to cross-validate Siri's (1961) 2-component (2C) conversion formula and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) estimates of relative body fat (%BF) for physically active adults. Participants varied in age (18 to 59 y), body fatness, ethnicity (black, Hispanic, white), and physical activity level. The 3C Db-mineral model was used to obtain reference measures of %BF (%BF3C) for comparison with body-composition measures from DXA and hydrodensitometry. For men (n = 110) and women (n = 110), %BF,c (14.0% BF and 24.4% BF, respectively) was more accurately estimated by Siri's 2C formula (%BFsiri; men, r = 0.97, SEE = 1.77% BF; women, r = 0.98, SEE = 1.56% BF) than by DXA (%BFDXA; men, r = 0.86, SEE = 3.54% BF; women, r = 0.88, SEE = 3.73% BF). The average %BFSiri (men, 15.8% BF; women, 24.7% BF) and %BFDXA (men, 16.2% BF; women, 26.0% BF) differed significantly (P < 0.001) from %BF3C. Siri's 2C model estimated the average %BF 3C in this sample more accurately than DXA did.