Garcia et al. (2005) report on the development of predictive regression equations
for body fat content by means of common anthropometric
measurements which were obtained for 71 healthy German women.
In addition, the women's body composition was measured by
Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA). This reference method
is very accurate in measuring body fat but finds little applicability
in practical environments, mainly because of high costs and the
methodological efforts needed. Therefore, a simple regression equation
for predicting DXA measurements of body fat is of special interest for the practitioner.
Backward-elimination was applied to select
important variables from the available anthropometrical measurements, and
Garcia (2005) report a final linear model utilizing
hip circumference, knee breadth and a compound covariate which is defined as
the sum of log chin skinfold, log triceps skinfold and log subscapular skinfold.