Introduction: The use of ultrasonography (echo) to measure visceral fat more easily and non-invasively and to screen for visceral fat obesity may lead to the prevention and early detection of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, this study aimed to examine an evaluation method using echo that utilizes abdominal fat wall index (AFI), which is the evaluation criterion for obesity risk.

Methods: Body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and visceral fat level were measured in 17 healthy adults in their 20s. In addition, AFI, which is the ratio of the maximum preperitoneal fat thickness to the minimum subcutaneous fat thickness, was calculated using the B-mode of the ultrasonography apparatus.

Results: AFI significantly differed with sex (male 2.63±1.34, female 0.66±0.43). Correlations were observed between body fat percentage (r=-0.53), subcutaneous fat thickness (r=-0.68), and visceral fat thickness (r=0.73). Hidden obesity was recognized in 10 participants when the BMI and AFI were used to determine hidden obesity (BMI 18.5 or more and less than 25.0; AFI of 1.0 or more in males and 0.7 or more in females).

Conclusion: We confirmed that BMI and body fat percentage are not sufficient to estimate visceral fat areas and are insufficient for screening visceral fat-type obese people. Accurate measurements of AFI using echo are simple, have little effect on the body of the subject, and can screen a person with visceral fat-type obesity. Furthermore, regularly monitoring of the outcome of treatment and disease progression is possible. By visualizing visceral fat, which an individual is unaware of in daily life, we believe that it is possible for young people to take action toward preventing and improving metabolic syndrome by being conscious of their lifestyles while looking to the future.