Prediction of Physical Fitness: Estimated Percent Body Fat Using Body Circumferences versus Weight-Height Measures

摘要

This study compared several weight-height indices with an estimate of percent body fat based on a few circumference measurements. The utility of alternative obesity/overfatness measures was assessed by comparing the strength of their associations with several measures of physical fitness, including a 1.5-mile run/walk, 2-minute sit-ups test, sit-reach flexibility test, and an average fitness score. Study participants included 5710 Navy men and 477 Navy women, For men, percent body fat estimated from circumference measures predicted all the components of physical fitness significantly better than any of the weight-height indices. For women, estimated percent body fat was a significantly better predictor of two of the four fitness measures. Overall, the pattern of associations between physical fitness and both the estimated percent body fat and the weight-height measures was similar for men and women; however, the correlations between the percent fat and the fitness measures were stronger for men than for women. These findings suggest that the Navy's procedure for estimating fatness using circumference measures provides a better screen for physical fitness testing than would any of the commonly used weight-height indices.