Microcontroller-based Automated Body Fat Percentage Calculating System Using U.S. Navy Method

Limited outdoor activities and inadequate exercise pose health risks that can contribute to cardiovascular diseases. Monitoring one's body composition can be done by determining the body fat percentage (BF%), a good indicator of overall body fat composition as it separates fat excess from weight excess compared to Body Mass Index. The U.S. Navy Method formula uses body circumference measurements as parameters to estimate BF% conveniently. Thus, this study aims to develop a microcontroller-based calculating system that automatically calculates BF% using the U.S. Navy Method formula using Arduino UNO R3 and Arduino Nano. A main system containing an ultrasonic sensor is used to extract the height of an individual. In contrast, a secondary system uses a rotary encoder to read body circumference measurements (neck, waist, and hip). Transceiver modules are used to transfer measurements between systems wirelessly. The overall system's performance was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test by comparing the estimated BF% of the system and the skinfold method. The calculated test statistic 120 and p-value 0.06 are greater than the critical value 116 and the significance level 0.05, respectively. Hence, no significant difference exists between the calculated BF% using the system and the skinfold method.