Exploration of a variation of the bottle buoyancy technique for the assessment of body composition.
Hydrostatic weighing has long been recognized as a reliable and valid method for the assessment of body composition. An alternative method known as bottle buoyancy (BB) was introduced by Katch, Hortobagyi, and Denahan in 1989. The purpose of this clinical investigation was to determine the accuracy of the BB technique using an 11-L container. Sixteen individuals (8 men, 8 women) were weighed hydrostatically using a chair/scale and the BB technique. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient for the two techniques was 0.9537. A 2-variable ANOVA was significant for gender but not for technique, and there was no interaction between variables. Thus, the BB technique appears to be an accurate substitute for the chair/scale technique for hydrostatic weighing. The BB method does not involve elaborate equipment and is portable. It could be improved with the use of multiple bottles of various volumes or a calibrated bottle to minimize the number of trials needed for accurate measurements. BB is a valuable, simple clinical tool for assessing body composition based on the principles of hydrostatic weighing and can be performed in any high school, college, or community swimming pool.
Institute for Physical Therapy, Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania 19013, USA. dawn.t.gulick@widener.edu
Dawn T
DT
Gulick
Paula Richley
PR
Geigle
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D003720:Densitometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D007101:Immersion; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors