Body Composition

An Overview of this
Health Related Component
Of Fitness
 Health and Skill related
components of fitness
Health Skill

Aerobic Capacity Agility

Body Composition Balance
Muscular Endurance Coordination
Muscular Strength Power
Flexibility Speed
Reaction Time
 Body Composition
Some Facts!
CDC states 66% of Adults are
overweight or obese
Estimated 61% or 2.4 million
Maryland Adults are overweight
or obese (Maryland Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene 2006)

Obesity Causes 365,000 deaths

each year, (NIH, CDC Data)
 Body Composition
Some Facts!
Cost to Taxpayers is 117 Billion
Each Year (Department of Health and Human
Services)

Obesity is the cause of 15-20%

of all Cancer (NIH Data)
 What about our Children?
12.5 million children between
ages 2-19 are overweight (National
Center for Health Statistics)

Nearly 1 in 3 children are overweight

or at risk for overweight (Shape of the
Nation 2006)

Almost 80% of children who are

overweight become obese adults (New
England Journal of Medicine)
 What about our Children?
Among children between the
ages of 6 to 19, 16% (over 9
million) are overweight (Shape of the
Nation 2006)

17% of children who have

parents that do not exercise
are overweight (Overweight and Physical
Activity, A Portrait of States and the Nation 2005)
Health Risks Associated with
Overweight and Obesity
Overweight and obese children are at
higher risk for diabetes, high blood
pressure, cardiovascular disease, and
some forms of cancer.
Obese children are affected psychosocially
through anxiety, depression, low self
esteem and more missed days at school.
Obese students reported elevated levels of
sadness, loneliness and nervousness
Source: Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation 2006 Annual Report, “We
Will Reverse the Epidemic of Childhood
Obesity”, President’s Message
 Definitions
Body Composition- The portion of body
fat to lean tissue in an individual, usually
given as a percentage of body weight that
is fat
Body Mass Index(BMI)- A ratio of
height to weight that correlates with body
fat in the general population.
Health Risk if BMI is greater than 30
Obesity-A condition in which the body is
burdened with excessive adipose (fat)
tissue
Methods of Measuring Body
Composition
Body Mass Index
(BMI)
Waist to Hip Ratio
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
(BIA)
Skinfold Measurements
Hydrostatic (Underwater) Weighing
 Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body mass index or Quetlet Index is
a statistical measure of the weight of
a person scaled according to height
Accuracy is easily distorted by
factors such as fitness levels, muscle
mass, bone structure, gender and
ethnicity
 Body Mass Thresholds or
“Cut Points”
BMI Categories for adults used by the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and
World Health Organization (WHO)

BMI Weight Status

Below 18.5 Underweight

18.5-24.9 Normal Weight
25.0-29.9 Overweight
30.0 and Above Obese
 BMI for Children
BMI is defined differently for children and
teens between the ages of 6-19.
Stated as a percentile allowing for
comparison with children of same age and
gender.
Percentile Weight Status

Less than 5th Under weight

Between 5th and 85th Normal weight
Between 85th-95th Risk of Overweight
Above 95th Over weight
 Assessing Health Risks
Associated with BMI
BMI is just one indicator of potential
health risks.
Having a BMI in the overweight or obese
range does not necessarily indicate a
person is unhealthy.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
recommends looking at other risk factors.
Consider high cholesterol, smoking,
diabetes, personal and family history, high
blood pressure, and physical activity.
Source: CDC Website on Overweight and Obesity
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/index.htm
 Waist to Hip Ratio
Ratio of the circumference of waist to that
of hips (WHR)
Measures the proportion of fat distributed
around the torso
A WHR of 0.7 for women and 0.9 for men
correlates strongly with general health
WHR is better measurement of assessing
person’s risk for heart attack than BMI*
* Source: American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, August 12, 2006
 Body Fat Percentage
Estimates the fraction of total body
mass that is adipose tissue as
opposed to lean body mass
More accurate measure of excess
body weight than BMI.
Not as popular because equipment is
expensive and not readily available
Methods to determine body fat
percentage
Hydrostatic (Underwater) Weighing
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
Skinfold Measurements
 Hydrostatic (Underwater)
Weighing
Most accurate method of measuring
body fat percentage
Measures person’s average density
and converted to body fat
percentage
Carried out in a laboratory with
special equipment
Measures weight of person under
water with all air expelled from lungs
 Bioelectrical Impedance
Analysis (BIA)
Commonly used process for estimating
body composition
Two conductors send a small electrical
charge through body
Resistance between conductors
provide a measure of body fat
Resistance to electricity differs
between adipose (fat), muscle, and
skeletal tissue.
 Hydration Levels and
Bioelectrical Impedance
Analysis
Important factor that affects bioelectrical
impedance analysis is hydration level.
Muscle, a good conductor of electricity,
contains a large amount of water (about
73%) and electrolytes
Fat is a poor conductor of electricity
Student needs to be properly hydrated for
accurate results
Less water in system will increase the
percentage of body fat.
 Skinfold Measurements
Inexpensive means to measure body
fat
Calipers used to measure
subcutaneous fat layer thickness
Measurements converted to a body
fat percentage by an equation
Some require 7 points of
measurement others 3 points
 Exercise and diet are the keys
to success!

Individuals should
- Examine the relationship between
caloric intake and caloric
expenditure
– Analyze the relationship between
the body types of a mesomorph,
ectomorph and endomorph and
various activities for these specific
body types
Exercise and diet are the keys
to success!
Individuals should
– Develop a nutrition and physical activity
log
– Assess and analyze the different types
of liquids for hydration and their
effect on activity
– Assess and analyze nutritional
supplements and performance
enhancing foods
Connection of Body Composition to
the Voluntary State Curriculum for
Physical Education
Connects to Content Standard 5
Physical Activity
Students examine body composition
as one of the health related
components of fitness
Students assess body composition, if
given written approval by the parent
or guardian
Connection of Body Composition to
the Voluntary State Curriculum for
Physical Education

Students develop personal fitness

goals based on their fitness
assessment
Students develop strategies to reach
their personal fitness goals
 Education is the Key!

Educate parents or guardians about

the health related components of
fitness
Educate parents or guardians about
body composition and its relationship
to the health of their student
 Education is the Key!

Provide a fitness report for students

and parents or guardians
Use fitness assessment to develop
student’s personal fitness plans
Share portfolios and fitness plans
with parents or guardians
 Resource Websites
CDC Website on BMI and BMI
Calculators
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/index.htm

CDC Website on Obesity and

Overweight
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/index.htm

CDC Website on Childhood Obesity

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/index.htm
 Resource Websites
CDC Website Contributing Factors for
Overweight and Obesity
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/contributingfactors.htm

Eating Disorder WebQuest

http://jreddick.myweb.uga.edu/webquest.html

Fitnessgram Reference Guide

www.cooperinst.org/products/grams/references.cfm

Cooper Institute Website

www.cooperinst.org/index.cfm