Intra- and Inter-Rater Reliability of Assessing Body Composition Using B-Mode Ultrasound in Conjunction with Artificial Intelligence Software
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Keywords
ultrasonography, anthropometrics, body fat
Abstract
Introduction: Ultrasound (US) is proposed as a portable body composition (BC) assessment tool, however technician skill-level may impact measurement reliability. The purpose of this study was to assess intra- and inter-rater reliability of two technicians (T1; T2) using brightness mode (B-mode) US to determine body fat percentage (%BF).
Methods: 17 adults (male: n=9, Mage=25.9±3.9 yr; MBMI=23.0±2.5 kg/m2; female: n=8, Mage=29.6±10.8 yr; MBMI=25.7±3.3 kg/m2) were scanned at seven anatomical locations using B-mode US. %BF was determined by modified skinfold equations. Reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and one-way ANOVA was used to determine differences within and between technicians. Results: There was strong intra-rater reliability (T1: ICC= 0.998; CI 0.996-0.999; T2: (ICC= 0.997; CI 0.992-0.999) and strong inter-rater reliability (ICC= 0.983; CI 0.946- 0.994) for %BF measures with no significant differences within or between technicians (P>0.10). Agreement between technicians was stronger when assessing females (ICC=0.992; CI: 0.963-0.998) compared to males (ICC=0.867; CI 0.430-0.970), which is also reflected in differences between technicians’ individual site measurements in males only (P<0.05).
Conclusions: There is strong intra- and inter-rater reliability when using B-mode US to determine %BF in recreationally active adults. However, BC-specific US training may be beneficial for all technicians, even those with vast US-imaging experience.
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