scholarly journals Using body mass index ignores the intensive training of elite special force personnel

2019 ◽  
Vol 244 (11) ◽  
pp. 873-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin Tafeit ◽  
Gerhard Cvirn ◽  
Manfred Lamprecht ◽  
Markus Hohensinn ◽  
Reinhard Moeller ◽  
...  

Body mass index is a common and well-known measure in daily life. A body mass index higher than 25 is assumed to be an indicator for overweight and obesity and a high amount of total body fat. But body mass index overestimates body fat in subjects with high muscle mass and underestimates it in persons with a low lean body mass, especially in elderly and diseased persons. In the present study, we investigate the performance of the body mass index as a measure of body fatness and its ability to distinguish between well-trained and untrained subjects. Twenty-one well-trained male members of a police task force named “Cobra” and 38 non-active controls, matched by age, weight and height were participants of the study. The age range of these subjects was between 30 and 45 years. Subcutaneous adipose tissue thicknesses and body fat distributions were measured non-invasively by an optical device named the “Lipometer.” Statistics were performed with SPSS. We found that the body mass index did not show a difference between the two groups, whereas all Lipometer results were able to discriminate significantly between the trained and untrained subjects. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was calculated and all Lipometer measurements provided significant results up to a correct classification of all subjects of 86.4%, which was for the lateral thigh body site. In conclusion, the body mass index was not able to recognize the difference between trained and untrained participants, while body fat distribution measured with the Lipometer was able to distinguish more clearly the large body fat differences between these two groups. Impact statement Body mass index (BMI) is a common measure of body fatness but overestimates body fat in subjects with high muscle mass. We have developed previously a device named “Lipometer,” an alternative way to measure body fatness. We show herein that the Lipometer is able to distinguish more clearly (than the BMI) the large body fat differences between well-trained and untrained subjects. Thus, the Lipometer is superior to BMI with respect to body fat measurements.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
BN Ekpenyong ◽  
V Essien ◽  
AO Ndep ◽  
O Onwusaka ◽  
A Peter

Background: Overweight and obesity as well as underweight in adolescence are risk factors of chronic diseases that occur in adulthood. The objective of this research was to assess the Body Mass Index of in-school adolescents and its relationship to socioeconomic status of their parents.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 454 adolescents aged 10-19 years selected from five secondary schools using multistage sampling technique. A semi-structured interviewer questionnaire was used to collect relevant information from the adolescents and their anthropometric measurement to determine their Body Mass Index. Their Body Mass Index was categorized into obese, overweight, normal and underweight using the International Obesity Task Force reference. Analysis was done using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 20.1. Results: The prevalence of obesity, overweight, and underweight among the adolescents was 7.7%, 1.1% and 32.8% respectively. None of the students in the public schools was obese while 2.1% of the adolescents were obese in the private schools. Adolescents in public schools had a higher percentage of underweight (65.4%) compared to those in private schools (34.5%) and this was found statistically significant (p<0.001). There was an overall higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among the females than found among the males. This was also the case for adolescents from higher socio-economic parents. These differences were found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: The Body Mass Index status of the in-school adolescents studied was found to increase with increased socioeconomic status of their parents. This underscores the need for sensitization of in-school adolescents to see the need of knowing their nutritional status and ways to avoid the consequences of abnormal Body Mass Index.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Kumah ◽  
K. O. Akuffo ◽  
J. E. Abaka-Cann ◽  
D. E. Affram ◽  
E. A. Osae

The aim was to determine the prevalence of obesity and overweight among students in the Kumasi metropolis. In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 500 students aged 10 to 20 years were examined from two junior high schools selected by multistage sampling technique and three randomly selected senior high schools. Height and weight were measured in all participants and the body mass index (BMI) of each individual was calculated. Body mass index classes were calculated according to the International Obesity Task Force standards. Out of the 500 students, 290 (58.00%) were males and 210 (42.00%) were females. The prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity was 7.40%, 79.60%, 12.20%, and 0.80%, respectively. Overweight was more prevalent among students than obesity. There is therefore the need to establish effective public health promotion campaigns among students in order to curtail future implications on health.


2009 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. CMPed.S3446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa Pandit ◽  
Shashi Chiplonkar ◽  
Anuradha Khadilkar ◽  
Vaman Khadilkar ◽  
Veena Ekbote

Background Indians are suspected to have higher body fat percent at a given body mass index (BMI) than their western counterparts. Objective To estimate percent body fat in apparently healthy Indian children and adolescents by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and explore linkages of BMI with body fat percent for better health risk assessment. Methods Age, weight, height of 316 boys and 250 girls (6–17 years) were recorded. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). High adiposity was defined as body fat percent (BF%) > McCarthy's 85th percentile of body fat reference data. Receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC) was carried out for CDC BMI Z score for it's ability to judge excess fatness. Results High BF% was seen in 38.5% boys and 54.0% girls (p < 0.05). Percentage of obese children as defined by the BMI cutoffs of International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) (2.1% for boys and 6.9% for girls) was lower than that using Indian (13.7% for boys and 20.9% for girls) and CDC (14.1% for boys and 20.9% for girls) cutoffs. The point closest to one on the ROC curves of CDC BMI Z-scores indicated high adiposity at BMI cutoff of 22 at the age of 17 yr in both the genders. Conclusions Higher body fat percentage is associated with lower BMI values in Indian children.


1985 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maartje A. Rookus ◽  
Jan Burema ◽  
Paul Deurenberg ◽  
Wilhelmina A. M. Van Der Wiel-Wetzels

1. The impact of frame-size categories in weight-height tables was studied by comparing the efficiency of the body-mass index (weight/height2 (W/H2)) and weight adjusted for body-height and a body-diameter, W/(H2Dp), in predicting body fatness.2. Body-weight, body-height, six body-diameters and four skinfold thicknesses were measured in ninety-five men and seventy women, aged between 23 and 35 years. Percentage of body fat was calculated from skinfold thicknesses using regression equations according to Durnin & Womersley (1974).3. The inclusion of a body-diameter increased the explained variation of body fatness from 57% to 62% (knee) and 63% (shoulder) in men and from 63% to 69% (knee) in women.4. It can be concluded that in the present population the efficiency of the prediction of percentage of body fat was not improved markedly by the inclusion of a body-diameter in the body-mass index, thus giving no support for the inclusion of frame-size categories in weight-height tables.


2021 ◽  
pp. 014556132098051
Author(s):  
Matula Tareerath ◽  
Peerachatra Mangmeesri

Objectives: To retrospectively investigate the reliability of the age-based formula, year/4 + 3.5 mm in predicting size and year/2 + 12 cm in predicting insertion depth of preformed endotracheal tubes in children and correlate these data with the body mass index. Patients and Methods: Patients were classified into 4 groups according to their nutritional status: thinness, normal weight, overweight, and obesity; we then retrospectively compared the actual size of endotracheal tube and insertion depth to the predicting age-based formula and to the respective bend-to-tip distance of the used preformed tubes. Results: Altogether, 300 patients were included. The actual endotracheal tube size corresponded with the Motoyama formula (64.7%, 90% CI: 60.0-69.1), except for thin patients, where the calculated size was too large (0.5 mm). The insertion depth could be predicted within the range of the bend-to-tip distance and age-based formula in 85.0% (90% CI: 81.3-88.0) of patients. Conclusion: Prediction of the size of cuffed preformed endotracheal tubes using the formula of Motoyama was accurate in most patients, except in thin patients (body mass index < −2 SD). The insertion depth of the tubes was mostly in the range of the age-based-formula to the bend-to-tip distance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Stasinaki ◽  
D. Büchter ◽  
C.-H. I. Shih ◽  
K. Heldt ◽  
S. Güsewell ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Less than 2% of overweight children and adolescents in Switzerland can participate in multi-component behaviour changing interventions (BCI), due to costs and lack of time. Stress often hinders positive health outcomes in youth with obesity. Digital health interventions, with fewer on-site visits, promise health care access in remote regions; however, evidence for their effectiveness is scarce. Methods This randomized controlled not blinded trial (1:1) was conducted in a childhood obesity center in Switzerland. Forty-one youth aged 10–18 years with body mass index (BMI) > P.90 with risk factors or co-morbidities or BMI > P.97 were recruited. During 5.5 months, the PathMate2 group (PM) received daily conversational agent counselling via mobile app, combined with standardized counselling (4 on-site visits). Controls (CON) participated in a BCI (7 on-site visits). We compared the outcomes of both groups after 5.5 (T1) and 12 (T2) months. Primary outcome was reduction in BMI-SDS (BMI standard deviation score: BMI adjusted for age and sex). Secondary outcomes were changes in body fat and muscle mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis), waist-to-height ratio, physical capacities (modified Dordel-Koch-Test), blood pressure and pulse. Additionally, we hypothesized that less stressed children would lose more weight. Thus, children performed biofeedback relaxation exercises while stress parameters (plasma cortisol, stress questionnaires) were evaluated. Results At intervention start median BMI-SDS of all patients (18 PM, 13 CON) was 2.61 (obesity > + 2SD). BMI-SDS decreased significantly in CON at T1, but not at T2, and did not decrease in PM during the study. Muscle mass, strength and agility improved significantly in both groups at T2; only PM reduced significantly their body fat at T1 and T2. Average daily PM app usage rate was 71.5%. Cortisol serum levels decreased significantly after biofeedback but with no association between stress parameters and BMI-SDS. No side effects were observed. Conclusions Equally to BCI, PathMate2 intervention resulted in significant and lasting improvements of physical capacities and body composition, but not in sustained BMI-SDS decrease. This youth-appealing mobile health intervention provides an interesting approach for youth with obesity who have limited access to health care. Biofeedback reduces acute stress and could be an innovative adjunct to usual care.


Author(s):  
Tapaswini Mishra ◽  
Dipti Mohapatra ◽  
Manasi Behera ◽  
Srimannarayan Mishra

ABSTRACTObjective: Adequate sleep has been considered important for the adolescent’s health and well-being. On the other hand, self-imposed sleepcurtailment is now recognized as a potentially important and novel risk factor for obesity. The objective of the study is to find the association betweenshort sleep duration and obesity (by calculating the body mass index [BMI]) among medical students.Methods: The study was conducted on 100 medical students. A brief history of sleep duration was taken. The height and weight were taken and thebody mass index (BMI) was calculated by formula weight in kg / height in m. Based on the BMI criteria the students were classified into six groups:Underweight, normal, overweight, obese class I, obese class II and obese III. The waist circumference (WC) was also taken. The data obtained werestatistically analysed by ANOVA test and the p < 0.5 was considered significant.2Results: The present cross-sectional study showed that there is an association between short sleep duration and obesity which was highly significant(p<0.001). This study also shows that there is an association between short sleep duration and waist circumference which was also highly significant(p<0.001).Conclusion: The present study observed a high association of short sleep duration among medical students of IMS and SUM Hospital and that shortsleep duration was significantly associated with increased risk of overweight and obesity. We should further investigate whether adults adopting ahealthy lifestyle with short sleep duration would improve their sleeping habits or not.Keywords: Sleep duration, Body mass index, Waist circumference, Obesity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameer Al-Ghamdi ◽  
Mamdouh M. Shubair ◽  
Abdulrahman Aldiab ◽  
Jamaan M. Al-Zahrani ◽  
Khaled K. Aldossari ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e93
Author(s):  
Julie A. Pasco ◽  
Haslinda Gould ◽  
Kara L. Holloway ◽  
Amelia G. Dobbins ◽  
Mark A. Kotowicz ◽  
...  

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