CONSTRUCTION OF BODY FAT PERCENTAGE NORMS FOR MALE ADOLESCENTS OF KARNATAKA

Mr. Udaya Kumar and Mr. Chandrappa N.

ABSTRACT

Sedentary life style poses several threats to health and physical fitness of children. The present day adolescents are forced to lead an inactive lifestyle due to their parent over protectiveness. Obesity is a common health condition nowadays which is an outcome of sedentary lifestyle. In this context, there is a need for timely assessment of body fat in adolescents. The purpose of the present investigation was to construct body fat percentage norms for male adolescents of Karnataka. The subjects for the study were 950 adolescents studying in various schools of Karnataka state. The subjects were selected from various age groups. The data on body fat percentage was collected through HBF-375 Body Composition Monitor – Omron. The obtained results were statistically treated using descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation. Further, percentile norms were constructed for each age group under investigation. A five point rating scale was also constructed to give better evaluation of percent body fat. An adolescent in the age group 13 to 14 years with percent body fat 23.28 and above; in 15 to 16 years with 23. 82 and above; and in 17 to 18 years with 26.01 and above are considered obese.

Keywords: Health, Fitness, Obesity, Body fat percent, Norms, Percentiles.