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Comparative study of body composition using the skinfolds and ultrasound bodymetrix methods in young people (Bachelor thesis)

Μαργκαριάν, Αλέξανδρος/ Margarian, Alexandros

The ultrasound method constitutes an alternative approach for assessing body fat percentage, characterized by the ease of transport and handling of the portable equipment. However, the main advantage of this method is the minimization of measurement error variability regarding skinfold assessments among novice evaluators. The purpose of the present study was to compare body composition assessed with a portable ultrasound device to body fat percentage values determined using various reference equations based on skinfold measurements in young, normal-weight individuals. A total of 46 men and 49 women voluntarily participated in the study, with a mean age of 19.52±1.38 years, body mass of 67.42±12.37 kg, height of 171.59±9.35 cm, and a BMI of 22.78±2.96 kg/m². Measurements were taken of anthropometric characteristics and body composition by evaluating nine skinfold sites (triceps, biceps, subscapular, chest, midaxillary, abdominal, suprailiac, thigh, and calf) using a skinfold caliper. On the same day, participants were also assessed via ultrasound (BodyMetrix™ BX-2000) using three different protocols: i) Jackson & Pollock (JP3) three-site, ii) Pollock (P3) three-site, and iii) Jackson & Pollock (JP7) seven-site, using A-MODE ultrasound technology. Data analysis included repeated measures ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, mean absolute percentage error, and Bland-Altman plots. The results indicated that body fat percentage estimated by the JP7 ultrasound protocol did not differ significantly from the skinfold method [95% CI: 17.47–19.83, p > 0.05] across the whole sample. A similar pattern was observed for the JP3 protocol in males [95% CI: 17.14–19.75, p > 0.05]. However, ultrasound measurements yielded higher body fat percentage values in both sexes compared to the P3 [95% CI: 16.50–19.06, p < 0.001] and JP7 [95% CI: 17.47–19.83, p < 0.001] skinfold protocols. The mean absolute percentage error was found to be 22.49% (JP3), 22.96% (P3), and 20.57% (JP7). Moreover, statistically significant positive correlations were observed between ultrasound and the skinfold method across all three evaluation protocols (JP3: r = 0.878, p < 0.001; P3: r = 0.684, p < 0.001; JP7: r = 0.528, p < 0.001). The results of the present study suggest that ultrasound is a viable alternative method for assessing body fat percentage, providing comparable estimates to the skinfold method in normal-weight individuals.