Body composition versus anthropometric results of the Khisêdjê Indigenous of Xingu - MT/Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the body composition of the Khisêdjê, an Indigenous people residing in the Xingu Indigenous Territory, and compare it to the results obtained by anthropometry. One hundred seventy-nine individuals aged above 20 of both genders were included. The nutritional status was classified per the cutoff proposed by the WHO (1995). The body composition was identified using measures derived directly from a bioelectrical impedance device (resistance - R, reactance - Xc, and phase angle - PA). Data were analyzed using the Student t-test, chi-square, Pearson correlation, and analysis of variance, and 57% of the sample was male. The mean age of the population was 37.5 years, and 48% of subjects had some overweight level (BMI ≥ 25,0 kg/m²). We identified a positive correlation between BMI with waist (WC) and arm (AC) circumference, and PA measurements, and an inverse correlation between BMI and R and Xc measurements. R and Xc mean values decreased with increasing BMI. In contrast, mean PA increased with greater weight. The results suggest that being overweight among the Khisêdjê Indigenous people was associated with higher muscle mass amounts.

Key words: Indigenous peoples; Body composition; Electrical impedance; Anthropometry; Obesity