title: A comparison of field methods to assess body composition in a diverse group of sedentary women.
abstract: Accurate assessment of body composition is essential in the evaluation of obesity. While laboratory methods are commonly used to assess fat mass, field measures (e.g., skinfold thickness [SKF] and bioelectrical impedance [BIA]) may be more practical for screening large numbers of individuals in intervention studies. In this study, a correlational design was used among 46 racially and ethnically diverse, sedentary women (mean age = 25.73 years) to (a) compare the percentage of body fat as determined by SKF and the upper body BIA and (b) examine the effects of body mass index (BMI), racial/ethnic background, age, and stage of the menstrual cycle on differences in the estimated percentage of body fat obtained using the SKF and BIA. Overall, a significant correlation between SKF and BIA (r = .98, p < .001) was found, with similar findings among Black, Hispanic and White non-Hispanic women. The mean differences between BIA and SKF were not significantly correlated with BMI, age, race/ethnicity or stage of the menstrual cycle. Data from this study suggest that BIA showed similar body fat prediction values compared with SKF and may be a viable alternative to SKF among diverse groups of healthy women. Additional testing and comparison of these field methods with the laboratory methods of hydro-densitometry or dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is recommended to further determine whether BIA devices can be routinely recommended as an alternative to the SKF.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA. kdalonzo@rutgers.edu
authors.forename: Karen T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: D'Alonzo
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aluf
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012885:Skinfold Thickness