

- 3 SITE SKINFOLD BODY FAT CALCULATOR SKIN
- 3 SITE SKINFOLD BODY FAT CALCULATOR PORTABLE
- 3 SITE SKINFOLD BODY FAT CALCULATOR PROFESSIONAL
3 SITE SKINFOLD BODY FAT CALCULATOR SKIN
The technician takes measures by grasping a fold of skin and subcutaneous fat with the thumb and forefingers and pulling the fold away from the underlying muscle, then pinching it with the caliper and taking the reading within 2 seconds. Skinfold calipers measure skinfold thickness at various sites on the body. Trainers and coaches commonly turn to skinfold calipers for assessing body composition. 2008).īody mass index is a tool best used to estimate population-based rates of weight correlated to height and not a tool designed to assess obesity or underweight in single individuals in a clinical setting in the absence of other clinical measures (Piers et al. A study conducted using NHANES data showed that BMI cannot accurately diagnose obesity, especially in men and the elderly as well as people with intermediate BMI ranges, and therefore, BMI should only be used to assess population-based rates of obesity and not an individual’s status (Romero-Corral et al.

Though BMI may overestimate body fat in muscular individuals, it may underestimate body fat in other populations (Chang et al.
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The example illustrates a limitation of using BMI in athletes. However, at 8% body fat, the athlete is not obese or overfat.
3 SITE SKINFOLD BODY FAT CALCULATOR PROFESSIONAL
For example, a professional running back who is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m), weighs 210 pounds (95.5 kg), and has 8% body fat would have a BMI of 31.2. It can also overestimate body fat in individuals with large body frames (Ortiz-Hernández et al. Since muscle has greater density than fat and weighs more than fat per volume of tissue, BMI tends to overestimate body fat levels in muscular individuals (Witt and Bush 2005). The downside to BMI is that it does not assess actual body composition or distinguish between fat and muscle tissue. Measuring BMI is noninvasive and requires only an accurate scale and stadiometer (for measuring height). The NHANES assesses the health and nutrition status of adults and children in the United States and tracks changes over time to determine the prevalence of disease and risk factors for disease (United States Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2009, 2010). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a survey research program started in 1959 and directed by the Department of Health and Human Services (a federal government agency), measures BMI in the physical examination component of the survey (both physical exams and interviews are used). Table 11.1 shows the BMI categories used by the World Health Organization. Body mass index is a very convenient way to measure obesity rates in a population but should not be used by itself to categorize an individual. The resulting number categorizes the person as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. Body mass index is a simple calculation: weight in kilograms/height in meters2.

How do these measures compare, and what are the major differences between them?įirst, it is important to take a look at the most common field measures that sport nutritionist professionals use.
3 SITE SKINFOLD BODY FAT CALCULATOR PORTABLE
All text and images provided by Human Kinetics.įield methods for assessing body composition are those that are portable and easy to use for assessment of several people in a short time period. The following is an exclusive excerpt from the book NSCA’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition, published by Human Kinetics.
