Body composition measurements determined by air displacement plethysmography and eight-polar bioelectrical impedance analysis are equivalent in African American college students

The purpose of this study was to compare body composition measurements taken with air displacement plethysmography (BOD POD) to eight-polar bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in African American college students. The 143 subjects, aged 17-39 years, visited the participating Human Performance & Leisure Studies laboratory at North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, United States, between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011. Measurements of body composition, including fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM), and % body fat were determined using BOD POD (Life Measurement Inc., California, USA) and an eightpolar BIA (Inbody-720, Biospace, Seoul, Korea). The relationships between body composition measurements taken using BOD POD and eight-polar BIA were assessed using Pearson's r correlation. Results showed that body composition measurements taken using the BOD POD and the eightpolar BIA correlated significantly with respect to FFM (male, r=0.911, p<0.001; female, r=0.918, p<0.001); FM (male, r=0.938, p<0.001; female: r=0.931, p<0.001); and % body fat (male, r=0.871, p<0.001; female, r=0.717, p<0.001). The authors concluded that measurements taken using BOD POD and eight-polar BIA were similar in African American students. These methods are useful for field tests requiring body composition measurements and can be used interchangeably in the field.