Evaluation of Body Composition of Human Subjects by Means of Visual Appraisal.
Abstract
This research was designed to evaluate visual appraisal as a method of estimating body composition of male subjects in the age of 18 to 25 years. The project was designed to compare the results obtained by the conventional methods of skinfolds, 40K by whole body counting, by deuterium oxide dilution and by densitometry. If the method proved feasible, it was important to evaluate the competence of various judges and the success of training inexperienced judges. A score card was developed for visual appraisal of the subjects for whom the body composition estimated were also made available from the conventional methods. A statistical analysis of the data indicated that 40 to 70 percent of the variation in fat percentage could be accounted for by the visual appraisal method. The visual appraisal proved to be about as effective as any of the conventional methods in estimating fat; this conclusion is reached from the fact that the visual appraisal method agreed with the conventional methods about as closely as the latter agreed among each other. Visual appraisal plus weight and waist measurements were shown to be as reproducible, and presumably as accurate an indicator of body composition of young males as the more sophisticated and expensive methods commonly used for this purpose.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA155437
Entities
People
- G. M. Ward
- J. M. Blanchard
- T. M. Sutherland
Organizations
- Colorado State University