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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #202910
Title: Effect of clothing type on body composition in adults across a wide range of body mass index (BMI) using air displacement plethysmography (ADP)

Author
item Shafer, Kimberly
item Lukaski, Henry
item Siders, William

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/2006
Publication Date: 4/1/2007
Citation: Shafer, K., Lukaski, H.C., Siders, W. 2007. Effect of clothing type of body composition in adults across a wide range of body mass index (BMI) using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 21(6):A690.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: ADP, using Bod Pod, is a popular method to assess body composition. For valid results, however, the manufacturer warrants tight-fitting clothing (swimsuit or spandex), which may be uncomfortable or impractical for overweight (O) and obese (OB) persons or those with negative body image. This study compared body composition estimates from two alternative clothing schemes, scrubs (SC) and t-shirt/shorts (TS), to spandex (SP), and validity of these estimates to dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Body density (BD) and percent body fat (%BF) by ADP and %BF by DXA were assessed in 132 adults classified by BMI group: normal (N), O, and OB. Interactions between clothing type and BMI group were found for BD (p<.0001) and %BF (p<.0001) by ADP. Compared to DXA %BF (N: 22.39%±0.71; O: 29.48%±0.72; OB: 35.32%±0.73), %BF by ADP was underestimated in SC and TS for N (-11.43±0.42; -8.63±.42; p<.0001) and O (-6.75±0.43; -4.90±0.43; p<.0001) groups, respectively, but was not different for the OB group (SC: -0.72±0.44; p=.10) (TS: 0.55±0.44; p=.21). %BF from SP was underestimated for N (-2.35±0.42; p<.0001), and overestimated for O (1.19±0.43; p=.006) and OB (4.81±0.44; p<.0001) BMI. SC and TS are not acceptable substitutes for estimating %BF by ADP for N and O BMI group, but may be an alternative when testing OB persons.