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Body composition and physiological characteristics of overweight and non-overweight Singaporean Chinese male adolescents
Author
Gobinathan Nair
Supervisor
Schmidt, Gordon James
Abstract
Although previous studies have addressed the issue of the health of overweight adolescents, few researchers have comprehensively examined the body composition and physiological profile of this population. The purpose of this study was to determine the body composition and selected physiological characteristics of overweight adolescent Singapore Chinese males and to examine the relationship of these parameters with that of an age, gender and race matched non-overweight adolescent group. This study addressed the following specific questions : what are the differences in the results of measurement of body composition using skinfolds and bioelectric impedance; and what are the differences (if any) between overweight and non-overweight male adolescent in body composition, resting blood pressure, heart rate, blood chemistry, pulmonary function variables and functional aerobic capacity?
Forty boys of ethnic Chinese background and whose age ranged from 15 to 16 years from 10 different schools throughout Singapore were assessed in this study. One-half (n=20) of the subject met the criteria of being overweight and the other (n=20) as non-overweight, based on the Singapore standard height for weight charts. Body composition was evaluated using height, weight, sum of skinfolds, circumference of girths, bone widths and bioelectrical impedance. Blood chemistry was determined using the dry chemistry desktop analyzer for total cholesterol, low and high density lipoprotein and triglycerides. A spirometer system was used to measure pulmonary function variables. A graded exercise test was administered to obtain maximal oxygen uptake. Resting and exercise heart rate was determined using a heart rate monitor.
The overweight subjects had significantly higher (p < 0.001) Body Mass Index (BMI), waist/hip ratios, and in all 8 skinfolds, 10 circumferential girths and 2 skeletal widths measurements compared to the non-overweight subjects. There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) in percent body fat between the two groups using four formulae for skinfolds (eight sites) and two formulae for bioelectric impedance. Results showed that body fat was higher in all overweight than non-overweight subjects for all techniques with the Slaughter (1988) 2-site skinfold formulae and Houtkooper (1992) bioelectric impedance equation providing the most realistic data (that is, overweight subjects had predicted body fat greater than 25%.) Other skinfold and bioelectric impedance formulae tended to under-estimate percent body fat in the overweight group (that is, body fat was predicted to be less than 21%). The overweight subjects also showed significantly higher (p < 0.001) systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and very low density lipoproteins but significantly lower (p < 0.001) relative VO2 max compared to the non-overweight subjects. There were no significant differences in the pulmonary function variables of the two groups. These data provide vital information to the practitioner in planning programmes and identifying precisely where overweight subjects differ physiologically from their non-overweight counterparts.
Forty boys of ethnic Chinese background and whose age ranged from 15 to 16 years from 10 different schools throughout Singapore were assessed in this study. One-half (n=20) of the subject met the criteria of being overweight and the other (n=20) as non-overweight, based on the Singapore standard height for weight charts. Body composition was evaluated using height, weight, sum of skinfolds, circumference of girths, bone widths and bioelectrical impedance. Blood chemistry was determined using the dry chemistry desktop analyzer for total cholesterol, low and high density lipoprotein and triglycerides. A spirometer system was used to measure pulmonary function variables. A graded exercise test was administered to obtain maximal oxygen uptake. Resting and exercise heart rate was determined using a heart rate monitor.
The overweight subjects had significantly higher (p < 0.001) Body Mass Index (BMI), waist/hip ratios, and in all 8 skinfolds, 10 circumferential girths and 2 skeletal widths measurements compared to the non-overweight subjects. There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) in percent body fat between the two groups using four formulae for skinfolds (eight sites) and two formulae for bioelectric impedance. Results showed that body fat was higher in all overweight than non-overweight subjects for all techniques with the Slaughter (1988) 2-site skinfold formulae and Houtkooper (1992) bioelectric impedance equation providing the most realistic data (that is, overweight subjects had predicted body fat greater than 25%.) Other skinfold and bioelectric impedance formulae tended to under-estimate percent body fat in the overweight group (that is, body fat was predicted to be less than 21%). The overweight subjects also showed significantly higher (p < 0.001) systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and very low density lipoproteins but significantly lower (p < 0.001) relative VO2 max compared to the non-overweight subjects. There were no significant differences in the pulmonary function variables of the two groups. These data provide vital information to the practitioner in planning programmes and identifying precisely where overweight subjects differ physiologically from their non-overweight counterparts.
Date Issued
1996
Call Number
QP88 Gob
Date Submitted
1996