Biomaterial Database

Anthropometric measurements and estimating body composition in ballet dancers. 1993

A C Hergenroeder, and B Brown, and W J Klish

Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston 77030.

The purpose of this study was to develop and cross-validate an equation for estimating fat-free mass (FFM) in female ballet dancers. One hundred twelve, 11- to 25-yr old, female dancers had FFM measured by total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) and anthropometrics, including skinfold and circumference measurements. The regression equation that best estimated FFM in the dancers was FFM = 0.73 x body weight (kg) + 3.0, (R2 = 88%, SEE = 1.5 kg, P < 0.001). This equation was then cross-validated on a separate group of 23 female dancers who also had FFM measured by TOBEC. FFM estimated by this equation correlated with FFM measured by TOBEC (r = 0.94, SEE = 0.9 kg), and the difference in the FFM values using the two methods (the equation and TOBEC) did not change with the size of the FFM of the dancers. FFM in accomplished female ballet dancers can be best estimated from body weight alone. This is related to the homogeneity of body size and body composition in female ballet dancers at this level.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D001823	Body Composition	The relative amounts of various components in the body, such as percentage of body fat.	Body Compositions,Composition, Body,Compositions, Body
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003615	Dancing	Rhythmic and patterned body movements which are usually performed to music.	Ballet,Dance,Hip-Hop Dance,Jazz Dance,Line Dancing,Modern Dance,Salsa Dancing,Square Dance,Tap Dance,Dance, Hip-Hop,Dance, Jazz,Dance, Modern,Dance, Square,Dance, Tap,Dancing, Line,Dancing, Salsa,Hip Hop Dance
D004553	Electric Conductivity	The ability of a substrate to allow the passage of ELECTRONS.	Electrical Conductivity,Conductivity, Electric,Conductivity, Electrical
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000886	Anthropometry	The technique that deals with the measurement of the size, weight, and proportions of the human or other primate body.
D012885	Skinfold Thickness	The measurement of subcutaneous fat located directly beneath the skin by grasping a fold of skin and subcutaneous fat between the thumb and forefinger and pulling it away from the underlying muscle tissue. The thickness of the double layer of skin and subcutaneous tissue is then read with a caliper. The five most frequently measured sites are the upper arm, below the scapula, above the hip bone, the abdomen, and the thigh. Its application is the determination of relative fatness, of changes in physical conditioning programs, and of the percentage of body fat in desirable body weight. (From McArdle, et al., Exercise Physiology, 2d ed, p496-8)	Skinfold Thicknesses,Thickness, Skinfold,Thicknesses, Skinfold