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Cost‐effective and efficient body composition measurement devices that are reliable and valid are necessary for identifying health risk as well as for understanding the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the test–retest reliability and validity of three body composition measurement devices. Forty‐nine adults (mean age (SD) = 31.5 (10.7) y; BMI = 23.5 (3.0) kg/m2) completed a reference air displacement plethysmography (ADP) measure, and duplicate measures using skinfold callipers (Lange), ultrasound (BodyMetrix A‐mode) and a 3‐dimensional photonic scanner (3DPS; Fit3D ProScanner). Skinfold thickness was measured at seven sites using callipers and ultrasound; percent body fat (%BF) was then estimated using population‐specific algorithms. The 3DPS was used to measure body circumferences, and then %BF was estimated using its beta‐software. While skinfold callipers showed poor absolute reliability (mean differences (Δ) [95% CI] = 0.54% [0.22, 0.87], standard error of measurement (SEM) = 0.63%), ultrasound and the 3DPS showed excellent absolute (Δ = 0.17% [−0.25, 0.58], SEM = 0.78%; and Δ = −0.01% [−0.43, 0.40], SEM = 0.67%, respectively) and relative reliability (ICC2,1 = 0.988 [0.979, 0.993]; and ICC2,1 = 0.983 [0.968, 0.991], respectively). Compared to ADP (n = 43), skinfold callipers underestimated %BF (Δ = −4.53 [−7.72, −1.34]; p = 0.003), while ultrasound (Δ = −0.32 [−3.51, 2.87]; p = 0.99) and the 3DPS (Δ = 1.06 [−2.12. 4.26]; p = 0.77) were not significantly different. Bland–Altman plots showed a minimal bias of ultrasound [95% limit of agreement (LOA) = −7.87, 7.23] and the 3DPS [95% LOA = −6.66, 8.79]. In conclusion, estimating %BF from subcutaneous fat measurements using ultrasound and body circumferences using a 3DPS may be reliable and valid methods that require minimal technician expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility of body composition measurements by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 12 elite male wheelchair basketball players (age 31 ± 7 years, BMI 21 ± 2 kg/m2 and onset of disability 25 ± 9 years). Two whole body scans were performed on each participant in the supine position on the same day, using Lunar Prodigy Advance DXA (GE Lunar, Madison, WI, USA). Participants dismounted from the scanning table and were repositioned in-between the first and second scan. Whole body coefficient of variation (CV) values for bone mineral content (BMC), fat mass (FM) and soft tissue lean mass (LTM) were all <2.0%. With the exclusion of arm FM (CV = 7.8%), CV values ranged from 0.1 to 3.7% for all total body and segmental measurements of BMC, FM and LTM. The least significant change that can be attributed to the effect of treatment intervention in an individual is 1.0 kg, 1.1 kg, 0.12 kg for FM, LTM, and BMC, respectively. This information can be used to determine meaningful changes in body composition when assessed using the same methods longitudinally. Whilst there may be challenges in the correct positioning of an individual with disability that can introduce greater measurement error, DXA is a highly reproducible technique in the estimation of total and regional body composition of elite wheelchair basketball athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular improvements in the nonactive regions during exercise are likely primarily mediated by increased shear rate ( SR). Individuals with spinal cord injury ( SCI) experience sublesional vascular deconditioning and could potentially benefit from upper body exercise-induced increases in lower body SR. The present study utilized a single bout of incremental arm-crank exercise to generate exercise-induced SR changes in the superficial femoral artery in an effort to evaluate the acute postexercise impact on superficial femoral artery endothelial function via flow-mediated dilation ( FMD), and determine regulatory factors in the nonactive legs of individuals with and without SCI. Eight individuals with SCI and eight age, sex, and waist-circumference-matched able-bodied ( AB) controls participated. Nine minutes of incremental arm-crank exercise increased superficial femoral artery anterograde SR ( P = 0.02 and P < 0.01), retrograde SR ( P < 0.01 and P < 0.01), and oscillatory shear index ( OSI) ( P < 0.001 and P < 0.001) in both SCI and AB, respectively. However, these SR alterations resulted in acute postexercise increases in FMD in the AB group only ( SCI 6.0 ± 1.2% to 6.3 ± 2.7%, P = 0.74; AB 7.5 ± 1.4% to 11.2 ± 1.4%, P = 0.03). While arm exercise has many cardiovascular benefits and results in changes in SR patterns in the nonactive legs, these changes are not sufficient to induce acute changes in FMD among individuals with SCI, and therefore are less likely to stimulate exercise training-associated improvements in nonactive limb endothelial function. Understanding the role of SR patterns on FMD brings us closer to designing effective strategies to combat impaired vascular function in both healthy and clinical populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]