body composition

Question 1

how do we assess body size?

Answer 1

using height and weight measurements

Question 2

how do we assess body compostion?

Answer 2

using tissue measurements

Question 3

what are the pit-falls of using body size to measure health or fitness

Answer 3

being active supersedes body build when talking about someone’s health

Question 4

what are the 3 most common ways to measure body size (height & weight measurements)

Answer 4

1) height-to-weight chart
2) waist-to-hip ratio
3) body mass index (BMI)

Question 5

why is waist:hip ratio a better form of measurement in comparison to the height:weight charts?

Answer 5

• gives you some value added since it tells you where adipose tissue is
• high waist:hip ratio indicates high abnormal fat levels

Question 6

if body size measurements are not the best measures, then why do you need to know them?

height:weight, BMI, waist:hip

Answer 6

it depends on the situation you are in
ex: working with a larger group or a larger individual

Question 7

what can body composition tell you?

Answer 7

can estimate how much fat you have and where it is loacted

Question 8

what are methods to assess body compostion?

Answer 8

1) hydrostatic (underwater) weighing
2) bio-electric impedance
3) bone scans and X-Rays
4) skinfold calipers

Question 9

what is the most accurate measure of body compostion when done correctly?

Answer 9

hydrostatic (underwater) weighing

Question 10

what are the pros and cons of skinfold calipers?

Answer 10

• reliable as the person using them
• unreliable on obest individuals (can’t tell you anything under skin/calipers only open so far)
• no norms for kids
• multiple testing site opetions

Question 11

an athlete wants to improve sprint speed or vertical jump and you tell them to start doing cardio, why?

Answer 11

if you can train them to keep body fat down, the less body fat you have can allow you to generate more force to move faster or jump higher

Question 12

what are the 3 skinfold methods?

Answer 12

1) jackson-pollock (2 methods)
2) durnin-womersley
3) yuhasz

Question 13

when do you use the Jackson-Pollock skinfold method?

Answer 13

can be used on any individual who are NOT women over the age of 40 years old

Question 14

who should we avoid doing the Durnin-Womersley skinfold on?

Answer 14

• women
• those who want measures taken from the lower body

Question 15

who should we do the Yuhasz skinfold on?

Answer 15

male and female college student/ younger population since the normative data uses those subjects