Validation of equations to estimate body density of soccer players, category sub-20

Resumen

The purpose of this study was to validate equations developed from different populations, to estimate body density of soccer players from the south of Brazil, in order to determine their accuracy for this category of athletes. Thirty one national and international equations were analyzed. The sample was composed of 25 male soccer players, aged 16 to 20 years, from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. They had been training at least 1.5 and practiced 5 times a week, 4 hours per session. For cross-validation, the criteria suggested by Lohman (1992) were used as a reference standard: Student’s t test for dependent samples, Pearson’s Linear correlation coeffi cient, analysis of standard deviations and standard error of estimate. The equations analyzed tended to underestimate body density and, as such, are not valid for estimating body density in soccer players, producing errors when evaluating the body composition of individuals with the same characteristics as the sample studied here.