The Effect of a Body Shape Index, Waist Circumference, Body Mass Index on Body Composition in College Students

The purpose of this study was to find the effects of a body shape index, waist circumference, body mass index on body composition in college students. A total of 179(females=97, males=82) subjects participated in this study. All subjects of this study were examined the body composition(skeletal muscle mass, muscle mass, fat mass, lean body mass, total body water, protein, minerals), waist circumference, body mass index. Statistical analysis was done using correlation and standard regression analysis with SPSS 18.0. The statistical significance was set at the level of α＜.05. In results, waist circumference effected to most constituents (skeletal muscle mass, muscle mass, fat mass, lean body mass, total body water, protein, minerals) of body composition. However, the body shape index only showed difference in fat mass of body composition. In conclusions, a body shape index did less association to most of factors of body composition. Therefore, the waist circumference is more useful as an indicator of the body composition rather than the body shape index.