Normative anthropometric, body composition, bone health and energy expenditure in Singaporean adults

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Reference data can be used in clinical settings to monitor the growth of individuals and to identify those at risk for under or over-nutrition and assess their response to treatment. Reference data can come from either local or international sources. Local reference data should be compiled from measurements made on healthy, well nourished individuals. The group should be ethnically and genetically representative of the population to be investigated. Such data should be used when ethnic and genetic factors influence growth potential are predominant. Singapore is a multiethnic country, primarily comprised of people who are of Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicity, and thus it is imperative that reference datasets represent the dominant races. The differences in anthropometric, body composition, bone health, and basal metabolic rate between Asians and Caucasians have been well documented. However, comparisons between the ethnic majorities in Singapore are scarce. With the use of a Singaporean reference dataset, ethnic specific tools to assess nutritional status could be developed for use in clinical practice. Therefore, the aim of this study is to create a "normative" / "reference" database on anthropometric indices, body composition, bone health, and basal metabolic rate in Singaporean adults of Chinese, Malay or Indian origin. The database will act as a reference point for clinicians and researchers in order to determine whether or not subject results are within “normal ranges” for their age and sex. It can also be used to establish ethnic specific indices of health risk.

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