Does a Novice Technician Produce Results Similar to That of an Experienced DXA Technician When Assessing Body Composition and Bone Mineral Density?

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is a commonly used clinical assessment tool for body composition and bone mineral density, which is gaining popularity in athletic cohorts. Results from body composition scans are useful for athletic populations to track training and nutritional interventions, while...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism 2019-07, Vol.29 (4), p.435–440-440
Main Authors: Persson, Carl, Shiel, Flinn, Climstein, Mike, Furness, James
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorptiometry, Photon
Adolescent
Adult
Body Composition
Bone Density
Female
Humans
Male
Observer Variation
Pilot Projects
Professional Competence
Reproducibility of Results
Young Adult
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Summary:Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is a commonly used clinical assessment tool for body composition and bone mineral density, which is gaining popularity in athletic cohorts. Results from body composition scans are useful for athletic populations to track training and nutritional interventions, while bone mineral density scans are valuable for athletes at risk of developing stress fractures due to low bone mineral density. However, no research has ascertained if a novice technician (accredited but not experienced) could produce similar results to an experienced technician. Two groups of recreational athletes were scanned, one by an experienced technician, one by a novice technician. All participants were scanned twice with repositioning between scans. The experienced technician's reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .989-.998; percentage change in mean = -0.01 to 0.10), precision (typical error as coefficient of variation percentage = 0.01-0.47; SEM% = 0.61-1.39), and sensitivity to change (smallest real difference percentage = 1.70-3.85) were similar; however, superior to those of the novice technician. The novice technician results were reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .985-.997; percentage change in mean = -0.03 to 0.23), precision (typical error as coefficient of variation percentage = 0.03-0.75; SEM% = 1.06-2.12), and sensitivity to change (smallest real difference percentage = 2.73-5.86). Extensive experience, while valuable, is not a necessary requirement to produce quality results when undertaking whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning.
ISSN:1526-484X
1543-2742
DOI:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0299