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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #61821
Title: MILITARY BODY FAT STANDARDS AND EQUATIONS APPLIED TO MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN

Author
item BATHALON, GASTON - TUFTS-HNRCA
item HUGHES, VIRGINIA - TUFTS-HNRCA
item CAMPBELL, WAYNE - PENN STATE UNIV
item FIATARONE, MARIA - TUFTS-HNRCA
item EVANS, WILLIAM - PENN STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The military services currently use body fat equations that are based on circumference measurements to determine if military personnel comply with established body fat standards. The purpose of this study was to determine how accurately the military equations can classify 62 women aged 40 - 60 years old as being overfat or underfat using underwater weighing as the reference method and military body fat standards as cutoff values. Underwater weighing is based on the theory that fat floats and muscle sinks, thereby allowing scientists to measure an individual's amount of body fat. Average values for percent body fat from underwater weighing, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy equations were 29.5%, 27.3%, 25.7%, and 30.3%, respectively. The Army and Marine Corps equations significantly underpredicted percent body fat compared to underwater weighing. Other statistical tests showed a lack of agreement in predicting percent body fat in women 40-60 years between the military equations and the body fat measurements obtained by underwater weighing. Results showed that the equations could overpredict percent body fat by 9.4 to 14.2% or underpredict percent body fat by 6.6 to 11.0%, respectively. It was further found that the military equations identified individuals who met the body fat standards better than those who exceeded them. It is concluded that caution must be exercised when using military prediction equations to assess compliance with military body fat standards in healthy middle-aged women.

Technical Abstract: Military circumference equations are used to assess compliance of military personnel with body fat (BF) standards. The purpose of the present study was to determine the ability of military equations to correctly classify 62 women aged 40 - 60 y (50.9+/-6.2, mean +/-SD) as overfat or underfat using underwater weighing (UWW) as the reference method and military BF standards as diagnostic cutoffs. Values for the mean +/- SD percent BF from UWW, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy equations were 29.5+/-7.1, 27.3+/-4.7, 25.7+/-5.8, and 30.3+/-5.1, respectively. The Army and Marine Corps equations underpredicted percent BF compared to UWW, p<0.05. Bland-Altman plots showed a lack of agreement in predicting percent BF in women 40-60 y between equation and UWW-derived percent BF with the range of overprediction and underprediction being 9.4 to 14.2% and 6.6 to 11.0% respectively. This finding was supported by the low agreement in correctly classifying an individual as meeting or exceeding the BF standards, range 25% to 57%, Cohen's Kappa. The low sensitivities (range 20% to 74%) and higher specificities (range 80% to 98%) of the equations indicated they identified individuals who met the BF standards better than those who exceeded them. Caution must be exercised when using military prediction equations to assess compliance with military BF standards in healthy middle-aged women.