The Marilyn Magaram Center at California State University, Northridge is offering a modern health assessment tool for the campus and community to utilize.

“The Bod Pod Gold Standard” is the newest tool in body fat composition assessment technology, said Bod Pod technician Simona Hradil. The Health Assess Program (HAP) will use the Bod Pod to give athletes and the general public more accurate readings.

“They not only know what goals to set for themselves, but also what goals to set for themselves nutritionally,” Hradil said.

Magaram Center Executive Director Claudia Fajardo-Lira explained that the accuracy of the test is a plus, but it is also a more convenient method for measuring body fat composition.

“It is considered one of the most accurate methods to measure body composition,” she said. “And when compared with the underwater method for body composition measurement, it is more convenient to use.”

Fajardo-Lira also said that the Bod Pod program partnered with CSUN’s Athletics Department to assist the athletes with getting to their health goals.

CSUN basketball player Travis Newman started consistent Bod Pod readings to help reach her goals.

“It definitely kept me more conscious of my daily habits eating-wise and how that was affecting my training,” she said.

Using the equation [Density = Mass / Volume] and air displacement technology, the Bod Pod gives highly accurate body fat percentage readings. To use the machine, a person should wear tight-fitting clothing, such as a swimsuit, and sit in the Bod Pod while breathing deeply into a tube that is provided. Results take no more than five minutes to calculate.

According to Fajardo-Lira, the HAP completed over 300 Bod Pod assessments for individuals in the community.

The Magaram Center is funded through community donations and grants.

“Continued support for [the center] will ensure viability for the Magaram Center itself and the Health Assess Program,” Hradil said.

To make an appointment for a Bod Pod assessment, call (818) 677 – 4696.

Athletics, Bod Pod, Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science