Evaluation of a Rotary Laser Body Scanner for Body Volume and Fat Assessment

TLDR

The study evaluates the reliability and validity of a 3‑dimensional laser body scanner for estimating body volume and percent body fat. Reproducibility was assessed by repeated imaging, and validity was tested by comparing scanner measurements to hydrodensitometry and dual‑energy X‑ray absorptiometry. The scanner showed excellent reproducibility (ICC ≥ 0.99), strong agreement with hydrodensitometry for volume (r = 0.99, ICC = 0.99), and good agreement with DXA for percent fat (ICC = 0.86) with no mean bias, confirming it as a reliable, valid, quick, inexpensive method.

Abstract

This paper reports the evaluation tests on the reliability and validity of a 3-dimensional (3D) laser body scanner for estimation of body volume and % fat. Repeated measures of body imaging were performed for reproducibility analysis. Validity of the instrument was assessed by comparison of measures of body volume by imaging to hydrodensitometry, and body fat was compared to hydrodensitometry and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Reproducibility analysis showed little difference between within-subjects measurements of volume (ICC ≥ 0.99, p < 0.01). Body volume estimations by laser body scanner and hydrodensitometry were strongly related (r = 0.99, p < 0.01), and agreement was high (ICC = 0.99, p < 0.01). Measurements of % body fat also agreed strongly with each other between methods (ICC = 0.86, p < 0.01), and mean % fat estimates by body imaging did not differ from criterion methods (p > 0.05). These findings indicate that the 3D laser body scanner is a reliable and valid technique for the estimation of body volume. Furthermore, body imaging is an accurate measure of body fat, as compared to dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. This new instrument is promising as a quick, simple to use, and inexpensive method of body composition analysis.