Body mass assessment of male soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Abstract

Body weight control of male soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not only about ensuring their somatic (physical) health. It is also the choice of proper nutrition, neat appearance, successful passing physical training tests, high work capacity and timely performance of military duties. Moreover, it is also the presence of special criteria – norms (standards), the development of which has unreasonably little attention in the past in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but in the current conditions they are extremely relevant. Excessive body weight, and especially obesity, reduces a person’s work capacity, complicates intellectual and physical activity, causes disability, premature aging and shortened life expectancy. Body weight standards should be universal enough to take into account as much as possible departmental interests, in particular the military, and to cover individual characteristics of human development, such as height, age, and body constitution. The purpose of the study is to improve body weight assessment system of male servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with different height, age and body constitution. Methods of the study are as following: theoretical analysis and generalization; extrapolation; method of least squares; regression analysis. Material: according to the authors’ formula of optimal body weight for men of different height, age and different body constitution, the limits of body weight norms for nine age groups were obtained in accordance with the requirements of physical training standards. Results: a table of minimum and maximum body weight for servicemen of different heights depending on the age group was developed. A methodology for assessing the body weight of military personnel, taking into account their body constitution, has been developed. Conclusions. To estimate the body weight of male servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a table has been developed within the height range from 1.50 to 2.06 m in nine age groups from 18 to 60 years and older for soldiers with different body constitutions. In the case when body weight of male servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exceeds the table requirements, it is necessary to obtain the percentage of its deviation from the optimal body weight for men of different height, age and different body constitution, which is calculated according to the formula: Optimal body weight for men = (4.7619 × wrist circumference – 90.4762) × (0/08135×age+21.6916) × L2 / 100+(0.08135 × age + 21.6916) × L2 . If the body weight differs from the optimal body weight for men by no more than ±10%, then it meets the requirements of the norm.