Comparison of Circumference-and Skinfold-Based Body Fat Estimation Equations.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of the Navy's circumference-based equations to well-known skinfold- and bloimpedance-based equations. Body fat was determined by hydrostatic weighing in 505 active duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel: 266 men (138 Caucasians, 128 African-Americans) and 239 women (128 Caucasians, 111 African-Americans) and compared to percent body fat estimated by the Navy's body fat estimation equations, three well-known skinfold-based equations and two bioimpedance-based equations. There were no differences in predictive ability between the Navy equation and any of the other equations for women. There were also no significant differences between Caucasians and African-Americans for any of the techniques. For men, the Navy equation was the best predictor of body fat determined by hydrostatic weighing. The differences seem to have been primarily due to the greater predictive ability of the Navy equation for African-American men; the Navy equation was significantly better than all but one bioimpedance equation in predicting body fat of African-American men. The Navy's circumference method has an advantage over skinfold equations in that measurement of circumferences is more precise than skinfold measurements and is easier to learn; and the method has an advantage over bioimpedance in cost and technical considerations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA370117
Entities
People
- James A. Hodgdon
- K. Kujawa
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center