Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Measuring Abdominal Subcutaneous Fat Thickness Using an Ultrasound
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v8i5.2136Keywords:
abdomen, reliability, subcutaneous fat, ultrasoundAbstract
Obesity prevalence is rising globally, including in Indonesia. Conventional methods (BMI, WHR, BIA) cannot directly measure subcutaneous fat thickness. Ultrasound (USG) offers a safe, non-invasive alternative. To evaluate the use of ultrasound in measuring subcutaneous fat thickness across all age groups. Articles were searched in ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar following PRISMA guidelines. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4. Articles published from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2025, using the keywords “subcutaneous fat” OR “adipose tissue” AND “ultrasonography” OR “ultrasound” AND ‘reliability’ OR “Intraclass Correlation Coefficient” OR “ICC”; out of 2,553 articles reviewed, 10. Ten cross-sectional studies across various age groups were analyzed. The pooled ICC was 0.99, indicating near-perfect reliability. Reliability was consistently high in children, adults, and the elderly. USG outperformed skinfold calipers and showed comparable results to MRI, with minimal measurement error (~1 mm). Heterogeneity was high due to differences in USG modes, populations, and operator expertise, but all studies reported reliability above the acceptable threshold. Funnel plot analysis showed high precision and no significant publication bias. Ultrasound is a highly reliable method for measuring abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness across all age groups, making it suitable for widespread application in research and clinical practice.
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