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Abstract

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 3: Issue 1, Article 11, 2022. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) methods estimate health parameters such as phase angle (PhA) and body fat percentage (%BF) from various positional and electrode configurations. PhA and %BF are known biological markers of cellular and physical health, respectively, and can be used to predict various health-related conditions and therefore require accurate assessment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of body position during BIA by investigating the difference and agreement between PhA and %BF using RJL (supine) and InBody (vertical) analyzers. Thirty-eight young adults (23.4±4.1 yrs.) volunteered and underwent body composition assessments by both analyzers. Difference and agreement in assessments of PhA and %BF between analyzers were assessed using paired samples t-tests and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (rc), respectively. RJL’s PhA (7.15±0.84°) exceeded InBody’s (6.11±0.74°), p<0.001, and had poor agreement (rc =0.47). RJL’s %BF (23.0±6.8%) was similar to InBody’s (23.1±7.4%), p=0.813, and had substantial agreement (rc =0.95). Both analyzers estimated %BF similarly and may be interchangeable for this purpose, thus demonstrating no effect of body position on the estimation of %BF with these BIA devices. An individual's PhA may be underestimated if measured in the vertical position and compared to supine reference values. Current reference values for PhA are based on measurements in the supine position, so until vertical reference values of PhA are available, caution is urged when interpreting PhA from vertical BIA assessments.

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