Body Composition Test

Body Composition - is the body’s relative amount of fat to fat-free mass.

A. Body Mass Index (BMI)

FORMULA FOR COMPUTING BODY MASS INDEX

      WEIGHT [in Kilograms]____

 HEIGHT [in Meters] ² (squared)

Example:           30  =         30__   = 20.83 (NORMAL)

                           (1.20) ²       1.44

                       

CLASSIFICATION:         

                                    BELOW 18.5                         Underweight

                                    18.5- 24.9                               Normal

                                    25.0- 29.9                              Overweight

                                    30.0- ABOVE                        Obese

A.1      Weight– the heaviness or lightness of a person.

Equipment

Bathroom scale

Procedure

For the test taker:

a.      Wear light clothing before weighing.

b.      On bare feet, stand erect and still with weight evenly distributed on the center of the scale.

For the partner:

a. Before the start of weighing, adjust the scale to zero point.

b. Record the score in kilograms.

Scoring – record body mass to the nearest 0.5 kilograms

A.2.    Height – it is the distance between the floor to the top of the head in standing position.

Equipment

1)      Tape measure laid flat to a concrete wall.  The zero point starts at the bottom of the floor.

2)     L-square; and

3)     An even and firm floor and flat wall.

Procedure 

For the test taker:

a.      Stand erect on bare feet with heels, buttocks and shoulders pressed against the wall with tape measure.

For the partner :

a.      Place the L-square against the wall with the base at the top of the head of the person being tested.

b.      Record the score in meters.

Scoring – record standing height to the nearest 0.1 centimeter

*** 1 meter = 100 centimeter

 B. Waist Circumference

Purpose – waist circumference is a good predictor of visceral fat which contributes more risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes than fat located in other areas.

Equipment

Tape measure

Procedure

For the test taker:

a. Wear light clothing before taking waist circumference.

b. On bare waist, stand erect and wrap tape measure around waist.

For the partner:

a. Record the score in centimeters.

Scoring – record body mass to the nearest 0.1 centimeters

Standard

                                                            Men                                                   Women

Risk	centimeter	inches	centimeter	Inches
Very High	>120	>47	>110	>43.5
High	100-120	39.5-47	90-109	35.5-43
Normal	102	40	88	34.6
Low	80-99	31.5-39	70-89	28.5-35
Very Low	<80	<31.5	<70	<28.5