ORIGINAL ARTICLE Validity of Bone Mineral Density Measurements in Distal Sites as an Indicator of Total Bone Mineral Density in a Group of Pre-Adolescent and Adolescent Women

Background. The study of bone mineral density (BMD) has received attention due to the importance of osteoporosis as a public health problem in Mexico. The objective of this study was to assess the validity of BMD measures in distal forearm and calcaneus with portable densitometers as indicators of BMD on other anatomic sites. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 219 women from 9 to 22 years of age in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. We measured BMD in central sites (the entire skel-eton, excluding head, proximal femur, and lumbar spine) using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and in peripheral sites (distal forearm and calcaneus) using a portable densitometer with DXA technology. Measurements of height, weight, body composition, physical ac-tivity, and demographic characteristics were collected. Agreement of measurements of BMD was assessed using correlation and regression analysis, and the method proposed by Bland and Altman