A Comparative Evaluation of the Body Fat Percentage using Bioelectrical Impedance Analyser, Skin-fold Thickness Measurement and BMI.

Introduction: As there is a global increase in the number of people with obesity world-wide, there is an increasing need for estimation of body composition especially, the calculation of Body Fat (BF) percentage for treatment and prevention of obesity. Hence, the present study deals with the estimation of BF percentage using three methods. Aim: To compare the percentage of BF obtained by bioelectrical impedance method with percentage BF obtained by two other methods, {Skin-fold Thickness Measurements (STM) and Body Mass Index (BMI)}, in healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted on 50 healthy male subjects of the age group 25-55 years in a tertiary care hospital in Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh, India. BF percent measured using Karada scan HBF-701, compared with percentage BF as calculated by Siri equation (from the sum of skin fold thickness measured at four places-Triceps, Biceps, Suprailiac and Subscapular areas) and percentage BF calculated from BMI. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 20 and MS-Excel-2007 by Pearson Correlation Coefficient test and ANOVA. Results: Mean value of percent BF assessed by bioelectrical impedance was 18.27±3.32, mean BF percentage from Siri equation was 23.33±2.75 and mean BF from BMI was 19.55±3.22 the results showed significant difference in percent BF by different methods. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) underestimated BF when compared to other two methods. There was a statistically significant positive co-relation between Karada scan and BMI (r is 0.336, p is 0.017). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, we can conclude that bioelectrical impedance analyser underestimated BF percentage when compared to other two methods (skinfold thickness measurements and BMI) though there was a positive correlation between BF measurements by BIA and other two methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]