ACSM's Body Composition Assessment

In partnership with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), pioneer body composition experts Timothy G. Lohman and Laurie A. Milliken, along with a team of highly regarded contributors, have compiled a practical guide to performing body composition assessments. With an easy-to-follow format and straightforward writing, ACSM’s Body Composition Assessment provides readers foundational information and scientific research with applications in the fields of medicine, exercise science, nutrition, growth and development, and geriatrics.

ACSM’s Body Composition Assessment delves into the methodology for a number of techniques, including DXA, BIA, ultrasound, underwater weighing, ADP, total body water, multicomponent models, anthropometry (including skinfolds and circumferences), and BMI. The text uncovers the sources of error inherent in each measurement technique, and it identifies populations to whom these techniques can be applied with accuracy. Researchers and clinicians alike will benefit from descriptions of methods for use in both laboratory and field settings, protocols for the standardization of each method, and advantages and limitations for each method.

The text thoroughly examines the health implications of body composition by looking at the relationships between chronic disease and total body fat, fat distribution, muscle mass, and bone density. It also facilitates the reader’s ability to assess changes in body composition over time and to understand special considerations in assessing body composition in athletes, children, older adults, the overweight population, and clinical populations.

ACSM’s Body Composition Assessment is supplemented with a web resource containing audio-narrated PowerPoint slides to support a deep understanding of the content. The slides walk readers through key points and assessments in each chapter, and select photos and tables from the book are included to facilitate learning and retention.

ACSM’s Body Composition Assessment will help alleviate errors in body composition assessment, making it an ideal reference for practicing fitness, health, and medical professionals; nutrition specialists; and exercise physiologists.