What's the best way to measure body fat? (n.d.).How body mass index compromises care of patients with disabilities. In BMI we trust: Reframing the body mass index as a measure of health. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. Skinfold thickness testing requires a skilled practitioner to get accurate results. Skinfold thickness measurements: This involves using calipers, which are similar to tongs, to pull out and measure skin and fat around the abdomen.It is very accurate but may not be accessible to everyone. The difference between the measurements can tell practitioners a person’s body fat. One is a person’s weight on land, and the other is their weight while sitting on a chair underwater. Hydrostatic weighing: This involves a healthcare professional taking two measurements.It is a simple and quick test, but the results may vary depending on the scales and whether a person has consumed enough water. It works by measuring the resistance of electrical flow through different body tissues. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA): This technology is what smart scales use to assess body composition.It is one of the most reliable ways to measure body composition, but scans can be expensive. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA): DEXA scans use X-rays to provide a detailed breakdown of bone mineral density, lean tissue, and fat mass.Several methods can calculate body composition, including: Conversely, older adults may have lower BMIs due to a loss in muscle mass and bone density while still having higher body fat ratios.īody composition tells a person how much muscle, fat, and other types of tissue they have in their body. It does not consider potential differences in body types for people of different ethnicities and physical abilities.īecause Quetelet did not invent the BMI scale to assess health, this metric also does not consider the influence of muscle mass, bone density, and fat distribution, which can affect the results.Īthletes, for instance, may have overweight on the BMI scale due to their higher muscle mass despite having low body fat. As a result, the BMI scale’s definition of “average” only applies to one demographic. To calculate this average, Quetelet mainly used data from white Europeans. Quetelet wanted to calculate the physical characteristics of the “average man,” which he deemed to be the ideal humans should aim for. Originally, it was not a scale for measuring health. The Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet developed the BMI scale in the early 19th century. The categories are:ĭespite its widespread use, BMI has many limitations and criticisms. The result determines where it falls on a scale. Calculating BMI involves using a mathematical formula: a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in square meters (m): BMI = kg / m 2.
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