Methods of Determining Body Composition

Subject: Healthcare Research
Pages: 2
Words: 338
Reading time:
2 min

Bioelectrical Impedance

It is the measure of the resistance of body muscles against the flow of trifling, mild electrical indicators. The ratio of body fats can simply be computed by using body parts that are made up of water, such as urine, blood, and muscle. For instance, it is to evaluate the amount of fat an individual has by involving other aspects such as; age, gender, weight, height, and fitness constituents with bioelectrical impedance. The benefit of bioelectrical impedance is that it is simple to use and gives fast results. However, apparatus use are expensive to obtain.

Hydrostatic Weighing

It is an ideal method of measuring body composition. It envisages Archimedes principles, which designates that, for every equal weight, a lower mass object consumes a larger surface area and displace more fluids than higher mass objects. In a body composition viewpoint, the situation is weight on an average scale in order to obtain standard weight.

Skinfold Measurement

Skinfold is a measurement of a fold of a body, a tissue that encompasses a paired layer of skin and the essential fatty tissue. The evaluation is accomplished by using specially made calipers. The procedure is done by holding a fold of tissue with a left thumb-index finger at designated locations on the body, such as; below the scapula, on the calf, or at the back of the arm. The evaluation results attained form the basis of analyzing the proportion of fat available in the body. Besides, the skinfold measurement can be used to monitor fat losses.

Body Mass Indexing (BMI)

It is an empirical representation of the human body fats grounded on a person’s weight and height. It is characterized by a number that is computed from an individual’s height and weight. The BMI gives a valid indication of body fatness of people and is used to measure weight categories, which can reveal, health problems.