Funding outcome

Body composition refers to different body compartments, specifically fat, muscle, and bone, and is crucial for overall health status. Imbalances between body compartments may be associated with the onset or worsening of clinical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While several body composition assessment methods exist, accessibility remains limited, particularly in remote and low-income areas. Three-dimensional optical (3DO) body scanners emerged as affordable, quick, and user-friendly tools for assessing body composition. However, they require validation in pediatrics before being widely used in clinical settings. By applying two 3DO body scanners in a diverse group of adolescents, this study aims to assess the performance of 3DO body composition estimates as compared to a gold-standard method and by test-retest comparisons. Additionally, we will evaluate if the 3DO body composition estimates differ from adolescents with and without obesity. We expect that these techniques will present good performance in pediatrics, regardless of sex, gender, obesity status, puberty or race/ethnicity. In the future the study may also be expanded by integrating 3DO body scanners with artificial intelligence to develop a non-invasive screening tool for metabolic disorders to prevent the onset of metabolic diseases in adolescents. By providing cost-effective and accessible digital health resources, we aim to integrate these technologies into current clinical practices, including remote and low-income areas. This may remove economic and social barriers to health service accessibility, utilization and efficacy, to guide a more individualized pediatric health management.