COMPARISON BETWEEN BODY COMPOSITION ASSESSMENT METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Abstract
Interest in assessing body composition has grown exponentially in recent years, reflecting the expansion of the global fitness market, becoming a key factor in nutritional assessment. The assessment of body composition helps to identify and monitor nutritional treatment, as well as helping to improve the performance of sportspeople and athletes in different modalities. Given this, many discussions have been raised among health professionals about which of the most widespread methods (adipometry and bioimpedance) are most reliable in understanding the individual's nutritional status. Therefore, this study aimed, through a systematic review, to compare the different techniques for analyzing body composition. The research took place through a search for indexes in the PubMed, Scielo and Science direct databases, using the descriptors selected from the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS): Body Composition AND Skinfold Thickness AND Electric Impedance. 6 studies were selected in which 788 people were evaluated using different body composition analysis methods. It was possible to observe that the fold evaluation method presented statistically relevant data when compared with indirect methods (DEXA, hydrostatic weighing). However, as it was not possible to compare the adipometry method, multifrequency bioimpedance together with an indirect method, it was not possible to reach conclusive results.
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