The relationship between body composition and bone in preadolescent children

The importance of optimizing peak bone mass early in life for the prevention of fractures throughout the lifespan and more debilitating diseases such as osteoporosis is well known today. However, more research is necessary to understand the importance of various determinants of bone health in youth. The purpose of this study was to assess the associations between body composition (lean vs. fat mass) and bone mineral density (BMD) in children 8-9 years of age. A total of 103 Black and White participants (48 females and 55 males) between the ages of 8-9 years old and of all body composition levels, representative of a Midwestern county, were included in this study. All subjects were assessed for bone and body composition via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Correlations and linear regression analyses were used to analyze these data. Lean soft tissue (LST) was found to be significantly and positively related to BMD in both male and female children. Regression analyses revealed LST and race were the only independent predictors of bone BMD at the whole body (LST ß=0.812, p=0.006; Race ß=0.234, p=0.003) hip (Race ß=0.178, p=0.016) and lumbar spine (Race ß=0.211, p=0.010) sites. It was concluded that, a) LST is a major determinant of bone health in preadolescent children and b) Black children have greater BMD than White children.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2010

Author dc:creator

• Richey, Abby L.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Evans, Ellen M.

• Bone and Body Composition
• Preadolescents

Statement dc:rights

• © 2009 Abby Leigh Richey

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/16234

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/16234