Body Fat Testing

Body Fat Testing

Body Fat Testing is similar to Body Mass Index except that it determines the percent body fat of an employee.  this can be done in different ways.  No matter how it is done, an employee must know their height and weight as this is factored into the measurements.  Skin fold calipers is a popular method used by many professionals.  The calipers pinch your skin and pull the fat away from your muscle and bones and then measure the amount pulled away.

Just like the Body Mass Index test, an individual’s amount of body fat can also be determined by using a hand-held electronic Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) machine.  A screener will enter the individual’s height, weight, age, and gender into the machine.  The individual will then loosely grip two conductors on the side of the machine and hold it out in front of them so their arms are parallel to the ground.  The machine sends an undetectable electrical impulse through the hands of the individual.  Body fat impedes the flow of the current.  The resistance between the conductors will provide a measure of body fat, since the resistance to electricity varies between adipose (or fat), muscular, and skeletal tissue.

According to Health Check Systems, The American Council on Exercise has categorized ranges of body fat percentages as follows:

These results can indicate an individual’s fitness and help them determine appropriate weight management regimes.