The effects of 10 weeks of reforestation work on body composition.
OBJECTIVE
To document changes in body composition and body mass in male and female tree planters.


METHODS
Height, mass, skin-fold thickness, and limb girths were measured in 17 male and 5 female tree planters before and after 10 weeks of work.


RESULTS
Significant decreases were found in body mass (80.6 +/- 10.7 kg vs 76.8 +/- 8.5 kg) and body fat (13.3% +/- 5.5% vs. 10.4% +/- 5.0%) in the men (P < .05). No changes in skin-fold-corrected limb girths were found in the men or women. Initial body mass was significantly (P < .05) correlated with mass loss in men (r2 = .46) and women (r2 = .67). Estimated daily energy consumption was 20680.1 +/- 2204.5 kJ for men and 14516.6 +/- 2077.3 kJ for women, and estimated daily fat consumption was 194.2 +/- 30.1 g for men and 132.3 +/- 35.6 g for women.


CONCLUSIONS
Ten weeks of tree planting leads to significant decreases in body mass and body fat in men while maintaining skin-fold-corrected limb girths.
Hodges
Alastair N H
AN
Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre, School of Human Kinetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. hodges@interchange.ubc.ca
Ellis
Jacqueline D
JD
McKenzie
Donald C
DC
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001955:British Columbia; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D016468:Forestry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D016526:Workload
D004041:Dietary Fats