Prevalence of masked obesity and its association with body composition and lifestyle factors in young adults: a cross-sectional analysis
- 1Department of Health Management, Fujian Health College
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of masked obesity among vocational college students, evaluate the predictive efficacy of the muscle-to-fat ratio (MFR), and explore the associations between masked obesity and lifestyle factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 320 students from Fujian Health College. A self-developed structured questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic characteristics and health-related behaviors. Body composition indicators were measured via a bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody 770c). According to different combinations of body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%), they were divided into the following 8 groups: (1) under weight with low body fat group (UW-L); (2) Under weight with high body fat group (UW-H); (3) Normal weight with low body fat group (NW-L); (4) Normal weight with high body fat group (NW-H); (5) Overweight with low body fat group (OW-L); (6) Overweight with high body fat group (OW-H); (7) Obese with low body fat group (OB-L); (8) Obese with high body fat group (OB-H). Among them, the two types of UW-H and NW-H together constitute masked obesity.
Results: The prevalence of masked obesity was as high as 33.9% in the normal-weight population, and 5.8% in the underweight population. MFR demonstrates better diagnostic efficacy in the detection of masked obesity (AUC = 0.861), and is superior to BMI. After adjusting for confounding factors, excessive sleep duration was associated with masked obesity (OR = 6.887, 95% CI: 1.417–33.473), while no significant association was found between sleep quality and physical activity and masked obesity.
Conclusions: Compared with the traditional obesity index BMI, MFR is more effective in identifying masked obesity in young adults.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026prevalence,
title = {{Prevalence of masked obesity and its association with body composition and lifestyle factors in young adults: a cross-sectional analysis}},
author = {Yimei Li and Tao Zhang and Luowen Chen},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1854278},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1854278/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prevalence of masked obesity and its association with body composition and lifestyle factors in young adults: a cross-sectional analysis
AU - Yimei Li
AU - Tao Zhang
AU - Luowen Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1854278
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1854278/full
AB - Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of masked obesity among vocational college students, evaluate the predictive efficacy of the muscle-to-fat ratio (MFR), and explore the associations between masked obesity and lifestyle factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 320 students from Fujian Health College. A self-developed structured questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic characteristics and health-related behaviors. Body composition indicators were measured via a bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody 770c). According to different combinations of body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%), they were divided into the following 8 groups: (1) under weight with low body fat group (UW-L); (2) Under weight with high body fat group (UW-H); (3) Normal weight with low body fat group (NW-L); (4) Normal weight with high body fat group (NW-H); (5) Overweight with low body fat group (OW-L); (6) Overweight with high body fat group (OW-H); (7) Obese with low body fat group (OB-L); (8) Obese with high body fat group (OB-H). Among them, the two types of UW-H and NW-H together constitute masked obesity. Results: The prevalence of masked obesity was as high as 33.9% in the normal-weight population, and 5.8% in the underweight population. MFR demonstrates better diagnostic efficacy in the detection of masked obesity (AUC = 0.861), and is superior to BMI. After adjusting for confounding factors, excessive sleep duration was associated with masked obesity (OR = 6.887, 95% CI: 1.417–33.473), while no significant association was found between sleep quality and physical activity and masked obesity. Conclusions: Compared with the traditional obesity index BMI, MFR is more effective in identifying masked obesity in young adults.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -