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The Measurement of Body Composition

  • Chapter
Human Physical Growth and Maturation

Part of the book series: NATO Advanced Study Institutes Series ((NSSA,volume 30))

Abstract

Measurement of the body’s composition is more complex than the measurement of body size. Although studies of height and weight provide valuable information in understanding growth processes, both provide only dimensional data. Height is a linear measurement, while weight is a measure of body mass; as such they provide limited information about body composition. Hence, much effort has been expended in quantifying the body’s composition in vivo (Brožek and Henschel, 1961; Brožek, 1963a, 1965; Garn, 1961, 1963; National Academy of Sciences, 1968; Bergner and Lushbaugh, 1967; Malina, 1969; Forbes, 1978). This report offers an overview of selected methods for measuring body composition, with specific emphasis on those used in growth studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA

    Robert M. Malina

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, 19104, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Francis E. Johnston

  2. Fels Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics, Wright State University School of Medicine, 45387, Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA

    Alex F. Roche

  3. Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Charles Susanne

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© 1980 Plenum Press, New York

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Malina, R.M. (1980). The Measurement of Body Composition. In: Johnston, F.E., Roche, A.F., Susanne, C. (eds) Human Physical Growth and Maturation. NATO Advanced Study Institutes Series, vol 30. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6994-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6994-3_4

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