title: Validity and reliability of an ultrasound system for estimating adipose tissue.
abstract: When health professionals measure the fitness levels of clients, body composition is usually estimated. In field settings, body composition is commonly estimated with skinfolds or bioelectrical impedance analysis. Recently, a portable ultrasound device has been manufactured to estimate what percentage of body mass is composed of adipose tissue (AT%). A reported advantage of using ultrasound is that inter- and intrarater variations may be minimized when compared with the skinfold technique. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was twofold; 1) to determine the validity of a portable ultrasound device compared with skinfolds and 2) determine the reliability of the portable ultrasound device. Participants had their measurements taken in the following order: urine specific gravity, body mass, height, skinfolds and ultrasound determined. Participants had their urine specific gravity and ultrasound determined AT% estimates measured again 48 h later. The current pilot study found that the ultrasound was not a valid estimate of AT% when compared with the skinfold estimate (TE > 4%). In addition, the 1-site estimate from the ultrasound was more reliable than the 3-site estimate of AT%. These data are of importance to practitioners because it demonstrates that while the ultrasound is not a valid estimate compared with skinfolds, the 1-site estimate may be able to track changes in AT% over time, making the ultrasound an option for assessing changes in body composition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremy P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Loenneke
authors.forename: Jeremy T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wagganer
authors.forename: Jacob M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Ryan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Lowery
authors.forename: Cody E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Pujol
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D014463:Ultrasonography; D016482:Urinalysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adipose tissue; composition; fitness; skinfolds; ultrasound