Assessment
Assessment
This domain tests client intake, readiness, dietary assessment, anthropometrics, body composition, and interpretation. The exam wants you to collect enough data to coach safely without turning screening into diagnosis.
Core rules
- Start with medical history, medications, allergies, dietary restrictions, sleep, stress, activity, and readiness for change.
- Use multiple dietary methods: 24-hour recall, food frequency questionnaire, and 3-7 day food diary. Each has bias; recall depends on memory, diaries on reactivity.
- BMI = kg/m². Waist circumference adds risk information: >102 cm (40 in) in men and >88 cm (35 in) in women indicates higher cardiometabolic risk in many populations.
- Body composition methods (skinfolds, BIA, DXA) have error; track trends with the same method and conditions.
Worked example
A 90 kg client who is 1.75 m tall has BMI = 90 / (1.75²) = 29.4, in the overweight range. A waist of 104 cm adds higher-risk information. Explain that BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnosis, and that waist, medical history, and behaviors matter. Ask about readiness and refer for medical evaluation if indicated.
Traps
Do not diagnose obesity or eating disorders from BMI alone. Do not rely on one 24-hour recall. Do not skip readiness or mental-health screening. Do not collect data you cannot explain or store insecurely.