Characteristics of anthropometry and physical fitness of masked obesity in young men and women / 体力科学

ABSTRACT

Subjects evaluated by percentage body fat as obese, even though they are normal evaluated by BMI (calculated by height and weight), have recently come to be referred to as‘masked obesity’cases. The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of anthropometry and physical fitness between controls (20≤BMI<24, percent fat men<20%, women<30%) and masked obesity (20≤BMI<24, percent fat men≥20%, women≥30%) cases among young men and women. Subjects included 1985 unversity students among which 1278 were men (age 18.7 ± 0.9 yr) and 707 were women (age 18.6± 1.1 yr) . They performed anthropometry and physical fitness tests. Percentage body fat was calculated from the skinfold thickness of triceps and subscapula. Masked obesity showed up in 5.4% (69 persons) of men and 13.6% (96 persons) of women. The percentage of women with masked obesity was about 2.5 times higher than men. Furthermore, the percentage of masked obesity cases among obese subjects was 30.4% (69/227 persons) of men, and 66.2% (96/145 persons) of women. This value of women was about 2.2 times higher than men. Comparisons of values of control subjects and masked obese subjects were carried out in each BMI group (above 20, BMI 20-group ; above 21, BMI 21-group ; above 22, BMI 22-group; above 23, BMI 23-group) of men and women respectively. For anthropometry in women, the waist and waist-hip ratio of masked obesity cases of the BMI 21 and 22-groups were significantly higher than those of the controls. However the same trend was not found in men. For physical fitness in men, back strength of masked obesity cases in the BMI 20 and 23-groups, and 50 m dash in the BMI 20, 21, 23-groups were inferior to those of the controls. However the same trend was not found in women. These results suggest that masked obesity in women existed 2.5 times more often in men, and women have larger waists and men were inferior in muscle strength and power in comparison with non-obese subjects.