Study of top ballet school students revealed large deficiencies in their body weight and body fat.

Abstract

This study assessed the nutritional status and physical activity levels of 150 female students aged 10-18 from three top Polish ballet schools, where the most promising dancers go on to pursue professional ballet careers. We analysed the girls' body composition, physical activity level (PAL) and PAL coefficient. The ballet students also completed a questionnaire. The results revealed large deficiencies in the body weight and body fat of the young ballerinas. The mean body mass index (BMI) for the group was 16.8 kg/m2 . Polish centile charts showed that 18% of the girls had BMIs below the norm and 54% had a lower than average body fat content, with a mean of 15.6%. The body fat content was lowest (13.8%) in the 13- to 15-year age group. On average, girls aged 10-12 had 15.7% body fat, while girls aged 16-18 had 18.4%. The mean values for the anthropometric measurements were higher in older girls. The majority (72%) of the respondents reported high physical activity levels, defined as more than 15 hours of exercise per week. Special attention should be paid to low BMIs and body fat in young ballet school dancers aged 10-15 years.