Bioelectrical Impedance for body composition evaluation: an experimental didactic proposal for health sciences students

Abstract This article presents a bioelectrical impedance experiment for health science students using the traditional instrumentation available in undergraduate laboratories. Such proposal allows the study of electrical circuits physical principles and basic concepts through an interdisciplinary approach of bioelectrical impedance measurements and body evaluation. The didactical use of the experiment can be done in steps: (a) familiarization with an oscilloscope and other equipment. The equivalent circuit must be built to simulate the bioelectrical impedance and also do the comparison between the physical and the calculated quantities; (b) implementation of “in vivo” measurements; (c) computation of clinical variables from anthropometric parameters and experimental values of R and χc at 50 kHz. The conclusion is that the proposal is viable and its usage is appropriate for a critical thinking of bioelectrical impedance comprehension including the use of commercial equipment in clinical practice. The practical and conceptual approach presented reinforces the importance of re-examine the purpose of the traditional disciplinary knowledge to deal with health science challenges.