Definitions for "BIOELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE ANALYSIS"
Keywords:  bia, harmless, lean, fat, impedance
method of body composition analysis based on electrical conductance and the greater electrical conductivity of fat-free mass.
This is a rapid and noninvasive method used to evaluate body fat. A low-level electrical current is passed through the body, and the impedance, or opposition to the flow of the current, is measured with a BIA. Because fat tissue has less water to conduct an electrical current, the more body fat a person has, the more resistance there will be to the current. Although sources of error include technician's skill, environmental factors, subject factors, and the equation used, BIA has about a three- to four-percent margin of error.
A test for measuring various bodily characteristics, including body fat and body cell mass.