The Body Composition Project: A Summary Report and Descriptive Data
Abstract
Weight control programs in the Armed Forces have received much attention due to recent interest in the development of military physical fitness programs. The US Army weight control program incorporated height-weight tables suffer from many deficiencies; the most common problem is their inability to differentiate between an overweight state that is due to abundance of muscle as opposed to excess fat. This issue was addressed in a Department of Defense Directive. The revision included specific instructions for measuring an overweight state in terms of an individual's relative body fat as estimated by the sum of 4 skinfolds. Shortly after implementation, the validity of the height-weight and body fat standards as well as the appropriateness of the skinfold methodology was questioned. A study was designed to create a data base with which to validate several components of the Army weight control program. This report contains summary material and descriptive data for the total project. Keywords: Lean body mass; Body density; Muscle mass; Physical performance; Military appearance; Aerobic power; Lifting capacity; Somatotype.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA177679
Entities
People
- James A. Vogel
- Joseph E. Dziados
- Marilyn A. Teves
- Pamela J. Reich
- Patricia I. Fitzgerald
- Robert P. Mello
- William L. Daniels
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine