Abstract
PURPOSE: Controversy exists regarding the use of Body Mass Index (BMI) in determining overweight/obesity in athletic populations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether BMI is valid as a measure of overweight/obesity in division I college football players. METHODS: 86 males participated in this study. Body weight (BW) and height (HT) were used to calculate BMI and air displacement plethysmography (Bod Pod) was used to determine % body fat (BF), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM). BF ≤ 20% was considered normal; BF of 20.1%-30% was considered overweight; BF >30% was considered obese. Subjects were split into three standard, descriptive groups: big (B) (offensive line, defensive line); athletic (A) (quarterbacks, tight ends, running backs, kickers, and linebackers); and skilled (S) (wide receivers, defensive backs). RESULTS: 56 (65%) of the athletes tested had a BF of less than 20% (Normal), 22 (25%) had a BF between 20.1%-30% (Overweight), and 8 (9%) had a BF greater than 30% (Obesity). Only 7 (8%) of those tested had a BMI 18.5-24.9 (Normal), 48 (55%) had a BMI of 25.0-29.9 (Overweight), 31 (36%) had a BMI of 30.0-39.9 (Obesity). Based on BMI 79 (91.9%) of the subjects are overweight or obese, conversely by BF only 30 (34.9%) are overweight or obese. 65 of 86 (75.6%) subjects were misclassified as overweight or obese by BMI compared to BF. Misclassification by group was 16 (67%) in B, 28 (77%) in A, and 21 (81%) in S when using BMI compared to BF. Non-parametric Wilcoxon signed ranks tests indicated the misclassification rates for all three player position groups were significantly different from zero. Non-parametric correlational procedures (Cohen's Kappa) revealed scores from the BMI classification system were not significantly correlated with scores from the BF classification system. CONCLUSIONS: Use of BMI in Division I college football players is not effective for determining overweight/obesity levels as it leads to misclassification of overweight/obese status.
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