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Revisiting the United States Army body composition standards: a receiver operating characteristic analysis
Russell Nelson1, Johnathan Cheatham1, Dympna Gallagher2
1Department of Mathematical Sciences, Military Academy, West Point, NY, 10996, USA.
International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|September 6, 2018
Summary
The United States Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) may have overly strict body fat standards, particularly for females. Analysis suggests aligning ABCP standards with national health guidelines could improve soldier well-being and performance.
Area of Science:
- Military health
- Anthropometry
- Body composition analysis
Background:
- The United States Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) aims to maintain soldier well-being and performance through body fat standards.
- Evaluating the efficacy of current ABCP thresholds via large-scale experiments is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine optimal gender-specific age cohort thresholds for body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference that align with ABCP percent body fat standards.
- To assess the percentage of basic training recruits who meet these proposed ABCP standards.
- To identify key body circumference measurements predictive of percent body fat.
Main Methods:
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III data to establish BMI and waist circumference thresholds.
- Analysis of a basic training recruit dataset (N=20,896) to evaluate compliance with established thresholds.
- Regression modeling using a New York Obesity Research Center database (N=500) to determine the predictive value of various circumference measurements for body fat percentage.
Main Results:
- Optimal gender-specific BMI thresholds ranged from 21.75 to 26.55 kg/m², and waist circumference thresholds ranged from 77.05 to 97.55 cm.
- A significant percentage of basic training recruits exceeded these derived thresholds: 65-74% for BMI and 73-85% for waist circumference.
- Waist circumference was the strongest predictor of body fat in males, while mid-thigh circumference was most predictive in females.
Conclusions:
- Current ABCP percent body fat standards result in BMI thresholds lower than U.S. Army standards, suggesting they may be too restrictive, especially for females.
- Revising ABCP standards to align with existing national health guidelines is recommended.
- This approach could better support soldier readiness and well-being.
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