#YMCA BODY FAT CALCULATOR SKIN#

As such, there is poor correlation between BMI and body fat percentage across different racial, ethnic, and cultural dimensions (Heymsfield et al., 2016). Regarding populations, if you compare BMI and body fat among people who are several standard deviations away from average height, the BMI and body fat relationship is very poor BMI tends to underestimate body fat among taller people and overestimate it among shorter people.įurthermore, some populations of people tend to have higher body fat percentages at a given BMI than other populations. The relationship between BMI and body fat is that it really depends on the population and the method of assessing body fat. While often believed to be the most accurate method of estimating body fat percentage, DEXA is roughly equal to air-displacement plethysmography, hydrostatic weighing, and 3D body scanning technology. This approach requires very specialized equipment and training, and some-states require licensure to use DEXA technology due to the radiographic nature of the equipment.

Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry: Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, commonly referred to as DEXA (DEXA) utilizes specialized machines that have different types of X-rays which can measure differences in density of tissue.

These technologies show relatively similar accuracy to other measures such as bioelectrical impedance, hydrostatic weighing, and air-displacement plethysmography with error rates between 3-10% depending on the instrument used. These technologies utilize laser capture technology to measure anthropometrics and estimate body composition.

3D Body Scan: A new, emerging technology that is becoming more readily available are three-dimensional (3D) body scans.

It is roughly similar in terms of accuracy as hydrostatic weighing (hydrostatic weighing is slightly more accurate) but is substantially cheaper and easier to perform. However, instead of displacing water, this method displaces air.

Air-Displacement Plethysmography: Air-displacement plethysmography utilizes a similar principle as hydrostatic weighing, displacement.

Research grade devices can have error rates as low as 5%.

However, many of the low-cost commercial models are imprecise with large error rates (greater than 10%). This method is very readily available as it can be put into handheld devices and even at home digital weight scales. Bioelectrical Impedance: Bioelectrical impedance analysis, often referred to as BIA, utilizes electrical currents to assess body composition based on how electrical currents flow through the body.For most people, this form of body composition assessment is impractical. However, this approach is expensive and requires very specialized equipment and training. Hydrostatic Weighing: Hydrostatic weighing, also known as underwater weighing, is one of the more accurate forms of body composition assessment with error rates being between 2-5% for most apparatuses.Interestingly, waist to weight ratio appears to be the most accurate (Dong et al., 2018). There are good data to show how well different measures correlate to body fat percentages. More specifically things such as waist-to-hip ratios, waist-to-height ratios, and neck circumferences are ways to estimate body composition. Body Circumference: Another very accessible and easy to perform method of estimating body composition is through measuring body circumference.As such, it is difficult to be certain of changes of <5% of body fat. While easy to perform, this method requires a substantial amount of training and has a pretty high error rate, with up to 10-15% error rates reported in some studies.

#YMCA BODY FAT CALCULATOR SKIN#

This method relies on precisely built and calibrated calipers that measure skin thickness in millimeters. This layer is known as the subcutaneous fat layer. Skinfold Calipers: One of the most readily accessible ways to estimate body fat is to measure the physical thickness of the adipose (fat) layer directly under the skin.Here is a quick review of those major technologies. Each method has pros and cons and different levels of accuracy. These methods use a wide variety of technologies, ranging from very simple (a tape measure) to very complicated (three-dimensional laser scanning technology. As mentioned earlier, there are many ways to estimate body fat.

Ymca body fat calculator