The relationship between thermal imaging and waist circumference in young adults

Roschelle Heuberger, Patrick Kinnicutt, Tanya Domina

Department of Human Environmental Studies, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, USA.
Departments of Earth and Atmospheric Science and Computer Science, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/health.2012.412A213                

Abstract

Technologies such as 3-dimensional body scanners and thermal cameras are currently being investigated to eliminate the traditional means of assessing anthropometrics in the overweight and obese population. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential for thermal imaging to assess the relationship between thermal patterning and anthropometrics in young adults. Participants were 18 - 24 year old men (n = 176) and women (n = 260) with different Body Mass Indices (BMI), somatotypes, and activity levels. Participants were weighed, body scanned and thermally imaged. Statistical treatment included descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Statistically significant differences between mean thermal ratings were found between the normal and abnormal groups as categorized by waist circumference for both males (p < 0.003) and females (p < 0.001). The mean ratings of the contour regions between normal and overweight/ obese groups were also found to be statistically different for both males (p < 0.01) and females (p < 0.004).

Keywords

Obesity; Thermal Imaging; Young Adults

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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