Validity Of A 3-Compartment Body Composition Model Derived From A Single 2-Dimensional Digital Image

Abstract

Reported Relationships: K. Sullivan: Receipt of Intellectual Property Rights/Patent Holder; Michael Fedewa. Laboratory-based methods for assessing body composition often require specialized equipment, trained administrators, and relatively complex, time-consuming protocols. Simple, accurate, and cost-effective methods to assess body composition in field settings are limited. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of a digital image derived 3-compartment model estimate of body composition (IMAGE-3C) when compared to a 3-compartment skinfold estimate of body composition (SKF-3C). METHODS: A convenience sample of female participants was recruited for this study (n=24, 20.4±1.0 yrs., 73.1±10.3 kg). Body mass was measured (to the nearest 0.1 kg) with a calibrated digital scale (Tanita BWB-800, Tanita Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), and a standing height was measured (to the nearest 0.1 cm) with a stadiometer (SECA 213, Seca Ltd., Hamburg, Germany). Double measurements (within 2 mm of each other), of skinfold thickness were taken using calibrated skinfold calipers (Lange Skinfold Caliper, Seko, USA) across 7 standard sites on the body. A digital image of each participant was taken from the rear/posterior view using a 12.9 inch, 64g iPad Pro. A paired sample T-test was used to examine potential differences between body composition when measured via IMAGE-3C and SKF-3C. Intraclass Correlations Coefficient (ICC) was used to determine the strength of the association between the two methods. RESULTS: No differences in body composition were observed between IMAGE-3C and SKF-3C (17.9±5.1 versus 18.7±5.6, respectively, p=.08), with excellent agreement between methods (ICC=.96). CONCLUSIONS: The IMAGE-3C model appears to be a valid method of estimating body composition. The ability to evaluate body composition from a single digital image provides an accurate and efficient alternative to laboratory methods, which can be utilized by the general public. Data collection is ongoing. A larger and more diverse sample is needed to confirm these findings.