Is BAI better than BMI in estimating the increment of lumbar lordosis for the Caucasian population?

Abstract

One of the complications of obesity is low back pain, frequently associated with postural disorders. Body adiposity index (BAI) can be calculated without weighing, which may be rendered useful in settings where measuring accurate body weight is problematic. The aim of this study was to compare two indices of somatic structure, i.e., BAI and BMI regarding their accuracy (specific and sensitive) in predicting postural aberrations. The study group comprised of 1281 participants aged 20-22 years, who were students from universities in southern Poland. Anteroposterior spinal curvatures were measured using the Rippstein plurimeter. All subjects were measured for body height (BH) and mass, waist and hip circumference (WC and HC, respectively). In both male and female groups classified according to BAI cut-off points, a significant linear relationship was noted for the lumbar lordosis angle, i.e., the latter increased along with the BAI increase. The analysis of variance confirmed statistically significant differences in lordosis angles in both groups (women f= 19.6, p< 0.001; men f= 21.18, p< 0.001). These data evidenced a weak relationship between LL and the BAI. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between LL and BAI was 0.2 and 0.21 for men and women, respectively. We concluded that, contrary to BAI, BMI value did not indicate a significant difference in lumbar lordosis angle between normal weight and obese participants (women and men).