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Degree

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies /Developmental Kinesiology, 2007.

Abstract

The primary purpose of this investigation was to compare percent body fat (%BF) determined using skinfold regression equations for female athletes to %BF measured using the BOD POD (Life Measurement, Inc., Concord, CA) as the criterion measure. Valid skinfold equations for female collegiate athletes allow individuals to accurately and easily determine players’ %BF in a field setting. The accurate determination of body fat in female athletes enables pre- and post-season assessments as well as allows for potential diagnoses of symptoms involved in the female athlete triad (Fornetti et al., 1999; Nattiv & Lynch, 1994; Warner et al., 2004). The BOD POD has been shown to be a valid source of measurement of body composition in female athletes when compared to underwater (hydrostatic) weighing (UWW) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Participants in this study were 75 female collegiate athletes at a Division III University between the ages of 18-24 years. Each participant was tested in the BOD POD and had four skinfold sites measured. Criterion-related concurrent validity and intraclass reliability were tested before testing began to ensure the investigator was valid and reliable at taking skinfold measurements. Three previously developed skinfold equations for females were used to calculate %BF: The first equation (SF-UWW) utilized UWW as the criterion, the second equation (SF-DEXA) was developed using DEXA as the criterion, while the third equation (SF-Gen) was a general skinfold equation that has been recommended for women ages 18-55 years using UWW as the criterion. A one–way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with repeated measures on the four body composition techniques. Tukey’s HSD post hoc analysis was used to compare the means for each technique. Cohen’s d was used to calculate effect size for mean differences. No significant differences were found between the BOD POD and any of the skinfold measurements. However, significant differences were found with SF-DEXA having a lower %BF than SF-UWW and SF-Gen. In conclusion, it was found that the three skinfold equations used in this study compared with the criterion measure, BOD POD.

Keywords

female athletes; body composition; BOD POD; skinfolds

Advisor

Amy Morgan

Document number: bgsu1175007730
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1175007730

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