A model for estimating body shape biological age based on clinical parameters associated with body composition

BACKGROUND: To date, no studies have attempted to estimate body shape biological age using clinical parameters associated with body composition for the purposes of examining a person’s body shape based on their age. OBJECTIVE: We examined the relations between clinical parameters associated with body composition and chronological age, and proposed a model for estimating the body shape biological age. METHODS: The study was conducted in 243,778 subjects aged between 20 and 90 years who received a general medical checkup at health promotion centers at university and community hospitals in Korea from 2004 to 2011. RESULTS: In men, the clinical parameters with the highest correlation to age included the waist- to-hip ratio (r = 0.786, P < 0.001), hip circumference (r = −0.448, P < 0.001), and height (r = −0.377, P < 0.001). In women, the clinical parameters with the highest correlation to age include the waist-to-hip ratio (r = 0.859, P < 0.001), waist circumference (r = 0.580, P < 0.001), and hip circumference (r = 0.520, P < 0.001). To estimate the optimal body shape biological age based on clinical parameters associated with body composition, we performed a multiple regression analysis. In a model estimating the body shape biological age, the coefficient of determination (R(2)) was 0.71 in men and 0.76 in women. CONCLUSION: Our model for estimating body shape biological age might be a novel approach to variation in body shape that is due to aging. We assume that our estimation model would be used as an adjunctive measure in easily predicting differences in body shape with the use of clinical parameters that are commonly used to assess the status of obesity in a clinical setting.