Evaluation of a portable ultrasonoscope in assessing the body composition of college-age women

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Abstract
Subcutaneous fat tissue thickness was measured ultrasonically on 66 females between the ages of 18-26 yr by using a portable ultrasonoscope and by skinfold caliper. Measurements were obtained at 7 sites: triceps, biceps, subscapula, suprailiac, abdomen, calf and thigh. Body density (Db) was measured by the underwear weighing technique. Mean Db was 1.0458 g .cntdot. cm-1, corresponding to a percent fat of 22.8% (range = 11.3-35.8%). Correlations between ultrasonic and skinfold measurements were significant (P < 0.05) at all sites. The highest was noted at the suprailiac (r = 0.86) and the lowest was at the thigh (r = 0.75). Test-retest reliabilty for ultrasonic measurements, taken on separate days, ranged from r = 0.87 at the triceps to r = 0.99 at the biceps. Four significant regression equations for predicting Db were developed, 2 utilized skinfolds and 2 utilized ultrasonic measurements of tissue thickness. The equation with the greatest multiple correlation (R = 0.80) utilized the suprailiac, subscapula and thigh skinfolds. The equation using ultrasonic measurements taken at the suprailiac and thigh sites demonstrated a multiple correlation of R = 0.78. This instrument is a reliable, portable, and noninvasive alternative to the skinfold caliper in obtaining field measurements of body composition.