Date of Award

5-2019

Degree Type

Report

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology and Health Science

Committee Chair(s)

Dale R. Wagner

Committee

Dale R. Wagner

Committee

Brennan J. Thompson

Committee

Edward M. Heath

Abstract

A-mode ultrasound is a relatively inexpensive and noninvasive way of measuring subcutaneous fat thickness and estimating body fat percentage (%BF). The BodyMetrix BX2000 A-mode ultrasound is programmed with nine different equations that can be used to estimate %BF. The purpose of this study was to compare the %BF estimation from all nine equations available for adult males in this ultrasound system to the %BF estimation from Bod Pod air displacement plethysmography. Ultrasound measures were taken at 10 body sites on 42 males of varying age (28.6 ± 11.9 y), height (182.4 ± 7.6 cm), weight (84.5 ± 16.9 kg), and body mass index (24.5 ± 4.6 kg/m2). The %BF from the nine ultrasound formulas were compared to the estimate from the Bod Pod with a repeated-measures ANOVA. Three of the nine equations -- the Jackson and Pollock 3 site (JP3), Jackson and Pollock 7 site (JP7), and the NHCA 4 site -- had acceptable correlation coefficients (> 0.80), low mean differences that were not significant (p > 0.05), and insignificant bias. None of the equations had errors < 3.5%BF, but all three of these formulas had standard error of estimate (SEE) and total error (TE) of about 4%BF. Based on these findings, the JP3, JP7, and NHCA 4-site formulas in the BX2000 A-mode ultrasound are recommended over the other formula options for estimating the %BF of men.

Share

COinS