title: Does body mass index misclassify physically active young men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this analysis was to determine the accuracy of age and gender adjusted BMI as a measure of body fat (BF) in U.S. Army Soldiers.
  
  
  METHODS
  BMI was calculated through measured height and weight (kg/m(2)) and body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Linear regression was used to determine a BF prediction equation and examine the correlation between %BF and BMI. The sensitivity and specificity of BMI compared to %BF as measured by DEXA was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Soldiers (n = 110) were on average 23 years old, with a BMI of 26.4, and approximately 18% BF. The correlation between BMI and %BF (R = 0.86) was strong (p < 0.01). A sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 100% were calculated when using Army age adjusted BMI thresholds. The overall accuracy in determining if a Soldier met Army BMI standards and were within the maximum allowable BF or exceeded BMI standards and were over the maximum allowable BF was 83%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using adjusted BMI thresholds in populations where physical fitness and training are requirements of the job provides better accuracy in identifying those who are overweight or obese due to high BF.
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance, U.S. Army Public Health Command, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Tyson
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grier
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance, U.S. Army Public Health Command, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canham-Chervak
authors.affiliation: Military Performance Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance, U.S. Army Public Health Command, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jones
keywords: Body composition; Body mass index (BMI); Military; Overweight