An Improved Portable Hydrostatic Weighing System for Body Composition
Abstract
This report describes a total underwater weighing system for the determination of body density to estimate body composition. It was designed specifically to be suitable for transport to field sites to quickly weigh large groups of subjects accurately and reproducibly. The tank itself is made of 1/4 inch welded aluminum, weighs 141 pounds and is 4x3x4 feet in dimension. The subject to be weighed is suspended in the water on an aluminum chair and exhales to a residual lung volume through a snorkel device. Weights are registered with an electronic load cell, converted to a digital signal and fed into a desk top computer and software program which assists in the selection of stable readings and the computation of density, body fat and fat free mass. Heating and filtration of the water are accomplished with attached commercial Jacuzzi components. The system has been tested both in the laboratory and at four field locations and found to be both rugged and dependable. Repeated trials over days have shown a very high degree of reproducibility. Keywords: Body composition, Densitometry, Hydrostatic weighing, Body fat.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA192593
Entities
People
- J. A. Vogel
- J. M. Foster
- J. Miletti
- P. I. Fitzgerald
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine