Thus, it is important to use methods such as bioelectrical impedance (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to analyze the whole body. Aging affects the subcutaneous and visceral fat distribution. The development of methods and/or equations for body composition estimation in older adults that can be used in population surveys while accounting for the age-related changes in body composition remains a major challenge. However, there is still a need to evaluate SF equations’ accuracy and agreement to predict %BF in older adults. SF is a non-invasive method, easy to be measured and has low operating costs. Skinfold (SF) measurements allow the assessment of body composition due to the strong relationship between the amount of subcutaneous fat and total BF. Therefore, %BF estimation is essential in epidemiological studies and in health services routine instead of relying only on BMI. High body fat is associated with increased mortality and unsuccessful ageing. Body composition has been considered a better alternative to BMI in older adults due to age-related increases in body fat percentage (%BF). However, limitations and controversies about the use of BMI have been highlighted especially due to its underestimation of obesity prevalence. The most widely method used to assess the prevalence of obesity status in population studies is the body mass index (BMI). Obesity has been linked to hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke.

The prevalence of obesity has considerably increased worldwide over the last few decades and is a growing concern among older adults. Future research in older adults should develop new SF equations considering different ethnic groups. However, the best agreement was observed between DXA and the anthropometric SF equation for men. The examined methods indicated different body fat estimates. A strong level of agreement was observed between DXA and the anthropometric equation developed by Durnin & Womersley in men (CCC = 0.846), while BIA had a moderate concordance (CCC = 0.505) in this group. However, both methods underestimated body fat percentage in women and men with high body fat percentage. BIA and SF equation showed strong concordance to estimate body fat percentage in all participants (CCC = 0.857 and 0.861, respectively) and among women (CCC = 0.788 and 0.726, respectively) when compared to DXA. Overall, women had higher body mass index and %BF values measured by all three methods used. reference method, was examined using Bland and Altman’s and Lin’s plot. The level of agreement for the %BF estimated by BIA, SF and DXA i.e. The analytical sample comprised of 132 participants who had DXA data. (SF) in older Brazilian adults aged 60 years and older from the Elderly Project Goiânia, Brazil. We estimated body fat percentage (%BF) and the level of agreement among dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bioelectrical impedance (BIA) and Durnin & Womersley’s skinfold eq. However, only few studies have compared different body fat estimation methods in older adults with inconsistent results. Body fat estimation allows measuring changes over time attributed to interventions and treatments in different settings such as hospitals, clinical practice, nursing homes and research.

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