BIA has traditionally been utilized as a predictor of total body water. As a result, BIA has become an alternate means of determining body fat percentage.
Numerous methods are available to determine body composition.
The standard BIA protocol requires subjects to abstain from food and liquid intake for twelve hours priors to the test. Measurements are taken in the morning, with the subject in supine position, hands and feet slightly apart. This method is not always clinically convenient, however. The test would be more practical if the procedure could be altered without decreasing validity or reliability. Subjects might then be tested in varying positions.