Body-Composition Assessment Using Underwater Weighing Techniques

Health care professionals recommend that assessment of body composition be included as a part of an adult fitness program. Underwater weighing, based on Archimedes' principle, is the most valid technique for assessment of percentage of body fat and lean tissue in a clinical setting. This article presents a computer program written in BASIC that performs all of the decision-making calculations and provides the user with a tabular and a graphical summary of current body composition in addition to recommendations for changes in body composition that will enhance the subject's health.