THE COMPARISON OF ESTIMATED BODY FATNESS WITH TWO DIFFERENT FIELD METHODS IN YOUNG WRESTLERS

Abstract

Practical body composition equations developed up to now are open to testing on different groups of athletes. The purpose of the study was to compare the estimation of body composition with two different equations, using skinfold and body neck and waist circumference in young wrestlers. One hundred and ten wrestlers (age:14.5 ± 1.2 years) voluntarily participated in the study and were divided into two categories based on body weight percentile scores (thin and heavy). Body composition analyses were determined by using two field methods, one of these was the skinfold method including the abdomen, subscapular, and triceps regions, and the other method was the indirect body composition determination using waist, and neck circumferences using the equations. The results showed that there were significant differences between the calculation results of equations for both the thin group and also heavy group. However, while the rate of error difference in the calculations of the two equations obtained from skinfold and body circumference measurements was low in the heavy group (Standard error of mean (SEM) Range; 2.6 %BF – Difference 16.5%), it was significantly higher in the thin group (SEM Range; 4.7 %BF - Difference 51.6%). The Skinfold equation was significantly underestimated for both groups when compared to the circumferential equation results. The findings showed that the field methods used in this study could be insufficient and, misleading to determine the body composition of young candidate wrestlers.