Associations between body fat percentage estimated by the CUN-BAE equation and cardiometabolic risk indicators in adults with intellectual disabilities

Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) often exhibit higher adiposity , increasing their risk of cardiometabolic conditions. Therefore, simple and non-invasive methods for estimating body fat in this population are needed. This study aimed to examine the associations between body fat percentage (BF%) estimated by the Clínic Universidad de Navarra-Body Adiposity Estimator (CUN-BAE) equation and cardiometabolic risk indicators in adults with ID. This cross-sectional study included 133 adults with ID (mean age 23.0 ± 6.7 years; 69.9% were men) from five special education centers in Santiago, Chile. BF% was estimated using the CUN-BAE equation. Cardiometabolic indicators included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), neck circumference (NC), waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), and submandibular skinfold (SS thickness). Mean BF% was 15.6% in men and 27.7% in women, respectively. Significant positive associations were observed between BF% and BMI (men: β = 0.77, R² = 0.77; women: β = 0.54, R² = 0.52), WC (men: β = 0.29, R² = 0.56; women: β = 0.21, R² = 0.31), NC (men: β = 0.95, R² = 0.43; women: β = 0.57, R² = 0.17), WtHR (men: β = 53.02, R² = 0.62; women: β = 27.54, R² = 0.26), and SS (men: β = 0.99, R² = 0.45; women: β = 1.15, R² = 0.49). Overall, BF% estimated by the CUN-BAE equation demonstrated consistent relationships with multiple cardiometabolic indicators in both sexes. These findings suggest that the CUN-BAE equation is a practical tool for estimating body fat in adults with ID; however, further validation against direct measures of body composition is warranted.