Comparison of Perceived and Measured Body Composition in a Military Population: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Anthropometry
• Public Health

Background:

• Weight status perception (WSP) is a subjective assessment of body weight, often differing from objective measures like body mass index (BMI).
• Individuals engaged in sports, including those who are overweight, may perceive their weight status as normal.
• The military faces challenges balancing muscle mass requirements with BMI standards, highlighting the need for alternative fitness assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between weight status perception (WSP) and objective body composition measures.
• To explore the potential for developing simple assessment tools for fitness to serve, particularly in military contexts.
• To determine if WSP correlates with fat percentage (Fat%) rather than BMI.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Sociodemographic, anthropometric data, and WSP were collected from participants.
• Body composition was assessed, focusing on fat percentage (Fat%).

Main Results:

• A statistically significant association (P=.008) was observed between weight status perception (WSP) and fat percentage (Fat%).
• While 39.5% of subjects had a BMI over 25, 63.2% perceived themselves as overweight.
• Thirteen subjects were identified as overweight based on their fat percentage.

Conclusions:

• A significant association exists between weight status perception and fat percentage, independent of BMI.
• This finding suggests WSP could be a component of a simple tool for assessing fitness to serve, especially when direct body composition measurement is difficult.
• Further research replicating this association in the general population is warranted due to the health implications of body fat percentage.