Relationships Between the Body Roundness Index, BMI, and Waist Circumference with Visceral Adiposity as Assessed by the InBody 770

Authors

Terrell Lee, Southern Utah UniversityFollow
Reed Muir, Southern Utah University
Elsie Call, Southern Utah University
Cole Affleck, Southern Utah University
Conner Harris, Southern Utah University
Abigail Larson, Southern Utah University

Abstract

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is strongly associated with metabolic disease risk; however, commonly used anthropometric measures, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and percentage of body fat (%BF), may not accurately estimate VAT. The Body Roundness Index (BRI) is an anthropometric index that combines height and WC and relies on geometry and other statistically generated nonlinear models with the intent of estimating VAT. PURPOSE: As such, this study aimed to determine if the BRI is more highly correlated with VAT compared to BMI, WC, or %BF. METHODS: Height, weight, BMI, %BF, and visceral fat area (VFA) (cm^2) were measured in 115 adults (70 males; average age of 22.8 ± 6.2 years) using a stadiometer and InBody 770 device. Waist and hip circumferences were recorded to the nearest cm, and BRI score was calculated using the equation: 364.2 − 365.5 × √(1 − [waist circumference in centimeters / 2π]² / [0.5 × height in centimeters]². RESULTS: Pearson Product Moment Correlations showed that VFA was highly correlated with %BF (r = 0.90), as well as BRI (r = 0.73) and BMI (r = 0.73), and moderately correlated with WC (r = 0.59). Assuming the InBody770 is a valid tool to measure %BF and VFA, and VFA is an accurate representation of VAT, measuring %BF alone may be a better indicator of VAT compared to BMI, BRI, or WC. However, considering cost and feasibility, BMI and BRI appear to be comparable, inexpensive, and widely available tools to estimate VAT. CONCLUSION: BRI is a relatively easy measurement to obtain in a clinical setting and may be perceived as less stigmatizing than BMI; however, the utility of BRI to establish relative risk for obesity-related chronic disease has yet to be fully described. Future research should investigate BRI’s predictive validity across more diverse populations and explore its potential as a clinical tool for assessing health risks associated with excess VAT.

Recommended Citation

Lee, Terrell; Muir, Reed; Call, Elsie; Affleck, Cole; Harris, Conner; and Larson, Abigail (2025) "Relationships Between the Body Roundness Index, BMI, and Waist Circumference with Visceral Adiposity as Assessed by the InBody 770," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14: Iss. 5, Article 84.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss5/84