title: Fatness of female field hockey players: Comparison of estimates with different methods.
abstract: The aim of the study was to compare relative body fat (% fat) in female field hockey players using several methods with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the reference. Participants were 31 Polish hockey players 16-30 years of age, 17 national and 14 youth level. Percent body fat was estimated by DXA (reference method), conventional and segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and predicted from skinfolds (SKF). National and youth team members did not differ in estimated body fat. Correlations between BIA and skinfold estimates of % fat and DXA % fat though significant, were moderate. Both % fat SKF and % fat SBIA differed significantly from % fat DXA, while estimated % fat BIA and % fat DXA did not differ. Limits of agreement were narrow for conventional BIA (-1.20 to 1.71% fat), followed by segmental BIA (3.72-6.09% fat) and broadest for SKF (5.97-9.28% fat). Differences between DXA % fat and estimated % fat with SKF and SBIA increased from the leanest to fattest athletes, whereas conventional BIA overestimated % fat relative to DXA in the small sample of individuals with low relative fatness and underestimated % fat in individuals with elevated relative fatness. Estimated % fat from conventional BIA most closely approximated DXA % fat in this sample of female field hockey players suggesting that the method may be suitable for field surveys to monitor body composition during the season.
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education, Department of Recreation, Poznań, Poland. Electronic address: krzykala@awf.poznan.pl.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krzykała
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education, Theory of the Sport Department, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Konarski
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Kinesiology, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX, USA.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Malina
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education, Department of Team Sports Games, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rachwalski
authors.affiliation: University of Medical Sciences, Physiotherapy, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department, Poland; Laboratory of Bone and Connective Tissue Metabolism Diseases, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leszczyński
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education, Anthropology and Biometry Department, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ziółkowska-Łajp
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006688:Hockey / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D011044:Poland; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D055815:Young Adult