title: [Fat content in young adults determined by skinfolds and body composition analyzator].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Body composition analysis is essential in assessing the nutritional status, as well as the risk of developing diseases associated with abnormal body fat content. At present, many methods are available to measure the amount and distribution of body fat. Among them, of particular importance are those methods that are simple, do not require expensive equipment and allow the assessment of the body composition of a large number of people (population study). However, previous observations show that they provide different results, and, therefore, further analysis and comparisons should be conducted in different age, sex and body composition groups.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goal was to compare the anthropometric and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) methods used to assess body composition in young women and men.
  
  
  METHODS
  65 women and 109 men, physical education students, took part in the study. Average chronological age of the women was 20.5±3.1 years and men 19.9±1.4 years. Body weight, height and thickness of 4 skinfolds (SF; over the biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac) were measured. The percentage of body fat in the anthropometric method was calculated using the Durnin and Womersley's equation. Assessment of body composition was also made by the BIA method. All the measurements in every person were made on the same day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean BMI was 21.4±1.9 in women and 23.9±2.4 in men. The mean percentage of body fat obtained by anthropometric method was 16.7±7.1% in women and 10.2±6.6% in men. The amount of body fat estimated by the BIA method was higher than that calculated by skinfold thickness among female students by about 5% (p <0.001), while for male students by 3% (p <0.001). The correlation coefficients between the anthropometric method and BIA method for women and men were 0.448 (p <0.05) and 0.380 (p <0.05), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anthropometric and BIA methods provide different results of body fat content, especially in women, so they should not be used interchangeably.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Biologii Akademii Wychowania Fizcznego Józefa Piłsudskiego w Warszawie. anna.keska@awf.edu.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kęska
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tkaczyk
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Czajkowska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiśniewski
authors.forename: Henryk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Norkowski
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smolarczyk
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kapuściński
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland; D012737:Sex Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult