• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.113-123
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• 2008

Objectives: Obesity is chronic condition which can severely influence health. People with a high percentage of body fat (%BF) have high prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Abdominal obesity (AO) seems to play a major role in the development of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. This study investigated the %BF and AO of workers in the automobile manufacturing industry. Methods: The subjects were categorized by sex, age, job class, drinking history and smoking history. %BF and AO were measured by using bioelectrical impedance analysis (Jawon Medical, Seoul, Korea). We analyzed the relationship between age, sex, job class, drinking history, smoking history and %BF and WHR into frequencies, $X^2$-test using the SPSS Ver. 12.0. Results: Regarding the relationship between sex and %BF, AO, there was statistically significant difference as men had a significant higher level of %BF and AO than women. There was a positive correlation between age and both %BF and AO. Workers in their 40s especially ran level of AO up. In job class, office workers were apt to have a higherlevel of %BF and AO than production line workers. %BF and AO of the non-drinker group showed a lower level than the drinker group. On the other hand, the ex-smoker group had higher levels of %BF and AO than the non-smoker or current-smoker groups. Conclusions: The above results showed that men, the advanced in years, office workers, drinkers and ex-smokers had high levels of %BF and AO.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.358-368
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to compare the validity of obesity indices among the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat percentage (BF%), and to determine which is the most useful index to predict the risk of chronic diseases of elderly people. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional study at welfare centers in Seoul. The total number of subjects was 261 (68 men and 193 women) with age ${\geq}60$ years. The distribution of obesity using 3 obesity indices in the subjects with hypertension, diabetes, or arthritis was BF%>WC>BMI in elderly men and WC>BF%>BMI in elderly women. In elderly women, odds ratios (ORs) for hypertension in BMI and WC quartiles were significantly increased in quartile 2 and 3 (p<0.05). The ORs for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and arthritis in BF% quartiles were significantly increased in quartile 3 and 4 (p<0.05). The BF% was sensitive obesity index for predicting the occurrence of chronic disease in men, and the WC was sensitive index in women. Our results suggested maintaining BMI less than $23.5kg/m^2$, WC less than 82 cm, and BF less than 35% in order to prevent chronic diseases in elderly women.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.526-533
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• 2013

Purpose: Obesity is an important risk factor for hypertension in adolescents. We investigated the relationship of obesity-related indices (body mass index [BMI], waist-to-height ratio [WHR], and body fat percentage [%BF]) with blood pressure and the hemodynamic determinants of blood pressure in Korean adolescents. Methods: In 2008, 565 adolescents, aged 12-16 years, were examined. The %BF of the participants was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Echocardiography and brachial artery pulse tracing were used to estimate the stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), total vascular resistance (TVR), and total arterial compliance (TAC). Results: We noted that BMI, WHR, and %BF were positively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The positive correlation between BMI and blood pressure (SBP and DBP) persisted after adjustment for WHR and %BF. However, after adjustment for BMI, the positive associations between blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and WHR as well as %BF, were not noted. With regard to the hemodynamic factors, BMI, but not WHR and %BF, was an independent positive factor correlated with SV and CO. TVR had an independent negative association with BMI; however, it was not associated with WHR or %BF. Moreover, we noted that BMI, WHR, and %BF did not affect TAC. Conclusion: In Korean adolescents, BMI had an independent positive correlation with SBP and DBP, possibly because of its effects on SV, CO, and TVR. WHR and %BF are believed to indirectly affect SBP and DBP through changes in BMI.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.16-25
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• 2009

Objectives: This study was designed to analyze the results of body composition test by Oriental medical examination. The subjects were workers in the automobile manufacturing industry. Methods: The subjects consisted of 24,077 industrial workers who had received Oriental medical examination and completed questionnaires about drinking history and smoking history, during 9 months from March to November. They were categorized by sex, age, job class, drinking history and smoking history. The percentage of body fat(%BF) and abdominal obesity(AO) were measured by using bioelectrical impedance analysis (Jawon Medical, Seoul, Korea). We analyzed the relationship between sex, age, job class, drinking history, smoking history and %BF and AO using x$^2$-test of the SPSS Ver. 14.0. Results: Regarding the relationship between sex and %BF, AO, there was statistically significant difference as men had a significant higher level of %BF and AO than women. There was a positive correlation between age and both %BF and AO. Workers in their 40s especially showed a high level of AO. In job class, office workers and sales personnel were apt to have a higher level of %BF and AO than factory workers. %BF and AO of the drinker group showed a higher level than the non-drinker group. On the other hand, %BF and AO of the non-smoker group were higher than those of the smoker group. Conclusions: Companies should manage obesity closely and educate the workers to quit smoking for their health promotion. Furthermore, continuous health checkups need to be done systematically.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.161-164
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• 2014

Obesity is a significant problem affecting United States (US) firefighters. While body mass index (BMI) is widely used to diagnose obesity, its use for this occupational group has raised concerns about validity. We examined rates and types of misclassification of BMI-based obesity status compared to body fat percentage (BF%) and waist circumference (WC). Male career firefighters (N = 994) from 20 US departments completed all three body composition assessments. Mean BMI, BF%, and WC were $29kg/m^2$, 23%, and 97 cm, respectively. Approximately 33% and 15% of BF%- and WC-defined obese participants were misclassified as non-obese (false negatives) using BMI, while 8% and 9% of non-obese participants defined by BF% and WC standards were identified as obese (false positives) using BMI. When stratified by race/ethnicity, Pacific Islanders showed high rates of false positive misclassification. Precision in obesity classification would be improved by using WC along with BMI to determine firefighters' weight status.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2017

Background: Police work is generally sedentary although there may be situations that require physical endurance and strength, such as foot chases and arresting suspects. Factors such as excessive body fat can impede an officer's physical ability to deal with such occurrences. Our objective was to examine associations between officers' body fat percentage (BF%) and performance on a standardized fitness protocol. Methods: Data were obtained from fitness screening among 1,826 male and 115 female officers in a large US police agency. The screening consisted of a 2.4-km run, push-ups, sit-ups, and sit-and-reach test. Sex-specific body fat percentages were estimated from skinfold thickness measured using calipers. Linear regression models were used to examine unadjusted and adjusted mean scores of fitness tests across BF% tertiles. Results: The prevalence of overall fitness was 4.3 times greater in male officers and 3.6 times greater in female officers having the lowest BF% tertile compared with the highest tertile (30.3% vs 7.1% and 46.0% vs 12.8%, respectively). BF% was linearly and positively associated with the time of 2.4-km run (p < 0.001), and linearly and inversely associated with the number of push-ups (p < 0.001), sit-ups (p < 0.001), and the distance of sit-and-reach (p < 0.001) in men. Similar associations were observed in women with the exception of sit-and-reach (p = 0.122). Associations were independent of age, race/ethnicity, rank, and duty station. Conclusion: Overall, BF% was inversely associated with fitness levels in male and female officers. Future longitudinal studies should be initiated to explore the potentially causal relationship between BF% and fitness in law enforcement officers.

• Korean Journal of Family Medicine
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.347-354
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• 2018

Background: BMI alone may not serve as an index of obesity because it does not reflect body composition. The present study aimed to compare arterial stiffness as assessed by the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) among groups defined by body fat percentage (pBF) and BMI. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on 1,700 participants (1,044 men and 656 women) who completed a health screening examination at a national hospital between January 2011 and February 2016. Participants were divided into four groups according to BMI and pBF: normal fat and normal weight (NFNW); excessive fat and normal weight (EFNW); normal fat and obese (NFO); and excessive fat and obese (EFO). The ba-PWV and other cardiometabolic factors were compared among the four groups in men and women separately. Results: For both sexes, the NFNW group had a lower metabolic risk compared to that in the other groups (EFNW, NFO, and EFO). After adjusting for multiple variables, the NFO males had a significantly lower ba-PWV compared to those in the other groups, including NFNW males. The NFO group had significantly more skeletal muscle mass and muscle mass compared the other groups (P<0.05). Among women, the NFNW group had a significantly lower ba-PWV compared the other groups, even after adjusting for multiple variables. Conclusion: Lower pBF in obese men may be associated with improved cardiovascular risk.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 1993

The purpose of this paper it to investigate the differences in prevalence of obesity and body fat distribution on the variances of age. Height, weight, skinfold thickness and girth circumference on about 422 women residing in Cheju, Korea were surveyed. The results of analysis of the survey are as follows : 1) All the antropometric measurements except height were shown to increase with age. Weight is at its highest level between the age of 50-59. The measurement of skinfold thickness and girth circumference between the ages of 20-39 of the female subjects are significantly higher than the above 40's. However, there is no significant difference among the middle aged women. 2) Physical indices tend to increase according to age. Both BMI and RBW of women in their 50's are at their highest values, however, the index values of the women in their 60's decreased slightly (p<0.05). On the contrary, there is no significant difference in the percentage of body fat and total body fat content among the middle aged women surveyed. 3) According to this survey, 15.6% of the 422 subjects are assessed as being obese ; more specifically 4.4% of women in their 20's, 12.6% in 30's, 25.6% in 40's, 22.5% in 50's and 17.3% in 60's. 4) 39.4% among obese women proved to be upper body type women. Because the frequency of upper body type women became higher as the obese women aged, there is possibility that the pattern of fat distribution can change. 5) Weight is the most highly correlated with BMI(r=0.91), whereas weight as correlated with RBW, percentage of BF and WHR are 0.8, 0.66 and 0.44 respectfully. The conclusion of this survey is that it is better to estimate the value of total body fat and percentage of body fat than the value of BMI in the analysis of prevalence of obesity and its related factors of middle aged women.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.905-909
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• 2010

Two sets of data on carcass traits and beef cut parameters were used to investigate the relationships between carcass and beef cut measurements, which can be used to make predictions of retail cut percentages. One set had a total of 1,141 measurements of Hanwoo cattle of three different sex origins, which were slaughtered in an abattoir located at the National Institute of Animal Science, RDA, Korea from 1996 to 2008. To develop prediction models for retail cut percentage with higher accuracies than the current model, another set consisting of a total of 13,389 records of carcass and beef cut traits were collected from 30 abattoirs and butcheries in Korea from 2008 to 2009. Bulls yielded heavier and leaner carcasses than steers. High correlation coefficients were estimated between amount of body fat and percent retail cut (-0.82) as well as between back fat thickness (BF) and percent retail cut (-0.62). The amount of retail cut, however, was highly correlated with body weight before slaughter (BW, 0.95) or with cold carcass weight (CWT, 0.94). Relationships between percent retail cut and measurable beef yield traits, BF, loin eye area (LEA) or CWT varied by sex class, which must be considered for development of a prediction model with high accuracy. Models of data for all breeds and sexes fit the effects of breed, sex, and interaction of abattoir by butchers, whereas models of data for each breed and sex fit the effect of interaction of abattoir by butcher only. Due to possible future changes in back fat control, we performed a log transformation of BF. Our new models fit better than the currently used model.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.107-114
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• 1998

Purpose: The purpose of our study is to provide useful information for me-asurement methods of childhood obesity and to provide clinical significance of bioelectrical impedance analysis. Methods: We measured height, weight, waist to hip ratio, skinfold thickness and bioelectrical impedance from 206 elementary students in Kwangju from May to July 1997. Results: In males; 1) There were statistically high correlations between tri-ceps skinfold thickness and body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat (%BF), weight, Rohler index (RI), total fat weight (TFW), waist to hip (W/H) ratio, height, lean body mass (LBM) (all, p<0.001). 2) There were statistically high correlations between subscapular skinfold thickness and BMI, RI, weig-ht, %BF, TBW (all, p<0.001). 3) There were statistically high correlations between %BF and BMI, triceps skinfold thickness, RI, TFW, subscapular skinfold thickness, weight (all, p<0.001). In females; 4) There were statistically high correlations between triceps skinfold thickness and BMI, weight, LBM, height, %BF (all, p<0.001). 5) There were statistically significant correlations between subscapular skinfold thickness and BMI, weight, LBM, RI, height. 6) There were statistically high correlations between percentage of body fat and BMI, RI, triceps skinfold thickness. The percentage of body fat according to the bioelectrical impedance analysis highly correlated with that calculated by skinfold thickness in males (r＝0.57, p<0.01) and in females (r＝0.30, p<0.01). Conclusion: The results of our study suggests that bioelectrical impedance analysis is a useful method of estimating body fat in the childhood obesity.