Background: Valid skinfold thickness (SFT) equations for the prediction
of body fat are currently unavailable for South Asian women and would
be a potentially robust field tool. Our aim was to assess the validity
of existing SFT equations against deuterium (2H2O) dilution and, if
invalid, to develop and validate an SFT equation for % fat mass (%FM)
in Sri Lankan women. Methods: H2O dilution was used with Fourier
transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as the criterion method for the
assessment of %FM in urban Sri Lankan women (30\u201345 years). This
data was used to assess the validity of available SFT equations and to
generate and validate a new SFT equation for the prediction of %FM
against the criterion method. Women (n = 164) were divided into
validation and cross-validation groups for the development and
validation of the new equation. The level of agreement between the %FM
calculated by the final derived prediction equation and the %FM
obtained by 2H2O dilution was assessed using Pearson\u2019s
correlation coefficient (R) and Bland Altman plots. Student\u2019s t
test was used to assess over- or underestimation, and significance was
set at p < 0.05. Results: Existing equations significantly (p <
0.001) underestimated %FM compared with the 2H2O dilution method. The
final equation obtained was %FM= 19.621 + (0.237*weight) +
(0.259*triceps). When compared with 2H2O dilution, %FM by the equation
was not significantly different. There was a significant (p < 0.001)
correlation between %FM by the reference method and %FM by the
equation. The limit of agreement by Bland Altman plot was narrow with a
small mean positive bias. Conclusions: Existing SFT equations were not
applicable to this population. The new equation derived was valid. We
report a new SFT equation to predict %FM in women of South Asian
ancestry suitable for field use