Comparison of Methods to Evaluate Body Composition in Collegiate Women Ultimate Frisbee Athletes

Abstract

Body composition is a useful measure in the female athlete population both for assessing sport performance and for tracking the athlete’s overall health. This study aimed to evaluate multiple modalities of body composition in collegiate female ultimate frisbee athletes, a population that currently has no published peer-review body composition literature. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant mean difference between various tools for accessing body composition among women ultimate frisbee athletes when compared to the air displacement plethysmography (AP). A total of nine (n=9) female collegiate ultimate frisbee athletes aged between 20-23 (height = 165.7 ± 4.5 cm, body mass = 64.1± 7.9 kg, and BMI = 23.3 ± 2.3 kg^.m^-2) completed this study. The tools used to measure body composition were AP, 3-site skinfold assessment, bioelectrical impedance analysis, four previously developed body mass index-based equations, and the body adiposity index. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine the differences in body fat percentages recorded from the various tools used to measure body composition. A Bonferroni correction post hoc analysis was used to examine group differences between the body fat percentage values and a Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was completed to find correlations between the different variables compared to the Bod Pod. A strong, positive relationship was seen between body composition estimated by AP and skinfold assessment (r=0.83, p=0.0006). The data collected is useful in determining if there is an alternative method to measuring body composition that is more cost effective, portable, and produces similar results when compared to AP.