Seasonal Changes of Body Mass and Anthropometric Measures Male Wheelchair Basketball Players

Abstract

PURPOSE: During a competition season, high level athletes should have their body mass index measured for monitoring the effects of training for a better performance. The same association must be true for athletes with disability. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the body mass index (BMI) and anthropometric response of male wheelchair basketball players to their competitive season. METHODS: Twelve male wheelchair basketball players of the first division national league (29.3 ± 5.1years) volunteered and completed 3 testing sessions throughout the course of the competition season. Testing sessions were conducted pre-, mid-, and postseason. Testing consisted of body mass index (BMI), circumference (arm and waist), and skinfold measures (chest, subscapular, suprailiac, abdominal, triceps and biceps). ANOVA with repeated was used to examine difference during the follow-up, and the post hoc Bonferroni t test was used to determine significant data indicated by ANOVA. RESULTS: There were no significant difference in BMI (Preseason: 25.4 ± 7.9 Kg/m2; Midseason: 25.4 ± 6.7 Kg/m2; Postseason: 25.7 ± 7.2 Kg/m2), and arm (Preseason: 34.5 ± 4.0 cm; Midseason: 33.6 ± 3.0 cm; Postseason: 34.4 ± 4.0 cm) and waist circumferences (Preseason: 85.3 ± 18.9 cm; Midseason: 88.1 ± 9.4 cm; Postseason: 79.6 ± 19.5 cm). Abdominal skinfold decreased at midseason and remained lower at postseason when compared to preseason (Preseason: 13.9 ± 8.8 mm; Midseason: 10.0 ± 5.3 mm; Postseason: 11.1 ± 6.8; P < 0.05). Chest and triceps skinfold also reduced at midseason (11.4% and 19.4 %, respectively; P < 0.05) but returned to similar levels of preseason. Sub-scapular, biceps and suprailiac skinfold did not change significantly during the season. CONCLUSIONS: Three skinfold fold measures reduced at midseason, but only one (abdominal skinfold) remained lower at postseason. BMI, arm and waist circumference did not change during the season. These results suggest that skinfold, but not BMI and arm and wais circumference, have a small seasonal variation in male wheelchair basketball players.