An Examination of Three Bioelectrical Impedance Body Composition Devices in College Students

Abstract

Introduction: Having inexpensive, convenient, and accurate body composition devices available is helpful. The purpose of this study was to determine whether three bioelectrical impedance body composition analyzers are acceptable methods for measuring body composition. Methods: Participants included 40 college students (18 males and 22 females, 17-22 years, 19.5yrs ± 1.09,). Each participant's percent body fat (%BF) was tested by a Bod Pod®, a handheld Omron HBF-306, a handheld Omron HBF-300, and a standing scale Health-o-meter model BFM081DQ1-63. Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni corrected post hocs were performed to determine statistical differences for %BF among the four devices. A Bland-Altman plot was used to visualize the %BF difference between the Bod Pod and Omron HBF-306. Results: Mean and SD %BF values for the devices were Bod Pod (19.6 ± 10.70), HBF-300 (16.6 ± 8.07), HBF-306 (18.2 ± 7.75), and Health-o-meter (21.7 ± 11.18). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.0001) in %BF among the four devices. Bonferroni correction post hoc analysis revealed significant differences among 5 of 6 pairwise comparisons. Bod Pod and HBF 306 were not significantly different (p=0.0584). The HBF-300 underestimated %BF by 3%, and the Health-o-Meter overestimated %BF by 2.1% compared to the Bod Pod. Conclusions: This study found only one of the three BIA devices to measure body composition accurately. Thus, it is recommended to choose the handheld Omron HBF-306 if one is looking for an inexpensive, convenient, and portable option. Otherwise, it is recommended to use a gold-standard device such as the Bod Pod.