INTRODUCTIONS E OBJECTIVE: To compare portable ultrasound (US) and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) with skinfolds (SF) to estimate body fat percentage in adults. METHODS: 195 military men were assessed and they had their weight, height, body fat by bioimpedance, skinfold in 9 points and ultrasound (US) collected. Linear Regression was used for the development of a new equation for body fat percentage estimation in young adults (males). RESULTS: The group had mean age of 23.07 ± 7.55 years and height and weight with mean and standard deviation of 72.65 ± 10.40 kg, 1.74 ± 0.06 meters, respectively. Comparing the results between the US and SF, there was significant correlation for all points evaluated, with the thigh skinfold presenting the highest correlation, followed by the chest one. When the three methods are compared, the US presented better correlation with the BIA than with SF. A new equation for estimation of fat percentage by US can hence be proposed. CONCLUSIONS: It was noticed that in the studied population, US and BIA can estimate the body fat percentage with good correlations with the SF method.
ultrasound; bioimpedance; skinfolds; body composition
