Posted on Nov 3, 2021
Service branches review body composition assessment methods
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Some service branches take a fresh look at body composition assessment methods, but weight still a focal point.
The U.S. Army and other branches of the military are taking a fresh look at how they measure body composition to determine if it is accurately associated with performance.
The U.S. Department of Defense instruction 1308.3 mandates that each service branch carry out physical fitness and body fat programs and procedures. In general, the military establishes minimum physical standards for recruitment and retention by measuring body fat based on height and weight tests or based on measurements at the neck and waist. Body composition is calculated using the body mass index (BMI).
The standards are not easy to meet. Right now, according to a Dec. 22, 2020, Congressional Research Service report, “19% of U.S. adults ages 18-24 would not meet standards for accession to the U.S. military due to obesity.”
However, some experts consider BMI-based body composition calculations to be a problematic way to measure body fat overall, gauge healthy weight ranges among and between racial and ethnic groups, or predict health outcomes in general. (See a rundown of the BMI issue at https://www.insider.com/is-bmi-accurate.)
Many of the military’s body composition programs haven’t been updated since the 1940s, when society looked very different, said Katrina Velasquez, a lobbyist with the nonprofit Eating Disorders Coalition. The average American — and service member — is taller with more muscle mass.
Velasquez: Weight-based body composition programs are harmful and stigmatizing
BMI testing is not only an inaccurate measure of health, “it’s actually pretty harmful,” Velasquez said, because it can trigger eating disorders in service members predisposed to develop one.
She said research shows that the service member population is developing eating disorders at a higher rate than the general population, which is roughly 9%. The military has few treatment options for this mental illness, she added.
Velasquez said she’s heard from numerous service members who’ve engaged in unhealthy behaviors to “make weight.” These include eating almost nothing ahead of weigh-ins, wearing plastic to sweat off pounds or taking laxatives. The body composition programs also often layer on stigmatizing and stressful elements such as announcing weights out loud in group settings or separating out or threatening to fire service members who don’t make weight, she said.
Certain service branches look at new assessment methods
The following studies or policy changes suggest that some service branches are open to considering changes to body composition programs:
Army: The U.S. Army on Oct. 18 launched the first evaluation in 30 years of its body composition test, examining its association with physical fitness to determine if changes are needed to regulatory guidance, training and instructional programs, or to the mechanics of the program. The U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training and the U.S. Army Institute of Environmental Medicine are conducting the research.
Sgt. Major of the Army Michael Grinston kicked off the study at Fort Bragg by taking the test, which uses four techniques to assess body composition: 1) standard AR 600-9 tape test, 2) dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), 3) three-dimensional total body scanning and 4) bioelectrical impedance analysis. Researchers are looking at body size and composition and comparing them to soldiers’ most recent physical fitness score and to dates and types of injuries. For females, the study is reviewing the number and dates of pregnancies, delivery methods, and first postpartum physical fitness score and Army Body Composition Program record. Army officials said initial findings should be out in December, but that final data will be ready in six to nine months.
Marine Corps: The U.S. Marine Corps’ (USMC) Human Performance Office is collaborating with the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine to study body composition using various methods to assess fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density. The review aims to determine whether the USMC’s policies and standards balance “health, performance, fitness and appearance.” According to a USMC study webpage, the Quantico-based study, which began in June 2021 and extends through the second quarter of 2022, will inform the future of body composition standards in the Marine Corps.
Navy: The Navy’s body composition assessment protocols, dated April 2021, don’t appear to be under review. (See the guide at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Support/21stCenturySailor/Physical/Guide%204-Body%20Composition%20Assessment-BCA-APR%202021.pdf?ver=UXBxbuAy0713JcZBkRRy2g%3d%3d.)
Air Force: The U.S. Air Force recently removed waist measurement as a scored component of its soon-to-be-revamped physical fitness test, and distributed those points across three main fitness categories. However, Air Force officials said that waists may still be measured as part of a body composition assessment that was set to start again this fall, according to a May 26 news release. Officials said details would be released at a later date.
Velasquez contended that the military does not need to use weight at all in health assessments. Instead, service members’ fitness could be measured through calculations of metabolic rates, blood pressure or other vital signs.
“From our perspective at the Eating Disorders Coalition, actually having a focus on hitting a certain weight is still going to be triggering into an eating disorder,” Velasquez said.
Learn more
Review the Army’s news release on its study, dated Oct. 18, 2021: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/407457/us-army-evaluate-relationship-between-body-composition-and-physical-fitness.
Review the Army Body Composition Program guidelines, dated Aug. 16, 2019: https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/ard/images/pdf/Policy/AR%20600-9%20The%20Army%20Body%20Composition%20Program.pdf.
Review the USMC study webpage: https://www.fitness.marines.mil/Body-Composition-and-Resources/Body-Composition-Study/Marine-Corps-Base-Quantico-Body-Composition-Study.
Review the Air Force’s news release on its fitness assessment alternatives, dated July 2, 2021: https://www.afpc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2681139/air-force-releases-cardio-and-strength-fitness-assessment-alternatives-new-onli.
Read the Congressional Research Service report, “Obesity in the United States and Effects on Military Recruiting,” dated Dec. 22, 2020: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IF11708.pdf.
The U.S. Army and other branches of the military are taking a fresh look at how they measure body composition to determine if it is accurately associated with performance.
The U.S. Department of Defense instruction 1308.3 mandates that each service branch carry out physical fitness and body fat programs and procedures. In general, the military establishes minimum physical standards for recruitment and retention by measuring body fat based on height and weight tests or based on measurements at the neck and waist. Body composition is calculated using the body mass index (BMI).
The standards are not easy to meet. Right now, according to a Dec. 22, 2020, Congressional Research Service report, “19% of U.S. adults ages 18-24 would not meet standards for accession to the U.S. military due to obesity.”
However, some experts consider BMI-based body composition calculations to be a problematic way to measure body fat overall, gauge healthy weight ranges among and between racial and ethnic groups, or predict health outcomes in general. (See a rundown of the BMI issue at https://www.insider.com/is-bmi-accurate.)
Many of the military’s body composition programs haven’t been updated since the 1940s, when society looked very different, said Katrina Velasquez, a lobbyist with the nonprofit Eating Disorders Coalition. The average American — and service member — is taller with more muscle mass.
Velasquez: Weight-based body composition programs are harmful and stigmatizing
BMI testing is not only an inaccurate measure of health, “it’s actually pretty harmful,” Velasquez said, because it can trigger eating disorders in service members predisposed to develop one.
She said research shows that the service member population is developing eating disorders at a higher rate than the general population, which is roughly 9%. The military has few treatment options for this mental illness, she added.
Velasquez said she’s heard from numerous service members who’ve engaged in unhealthy behaviors to “make weight.” These include eating almost nothing ahead of weigh-ins, wearing plastic to sweat off pounds or taking laxatives. The body composition programs also often layer on stigmatizing and stressful elements such as announcing weights out loud in group settings or separating out or threatening to fire service members who don’t make weight, she said.
Certain service branches look at new assessment methods
The following studies or policy changes suggest that some service branches are open to considering changes to body composition programs:
Army: The U.S. Army on Oct. 18 launched the first evaluation in 30 years of its body composition test, examining its association with physical fitness to determine if changes are needed to regulatory guidance, training and instructional programs, or to the mechanics of the program. The U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training and the U.S. Army Institute of Environmental Medicine are conducting the research.
Sgt. Major of the Army Michael Grinston kicked off the study at Fort Bragg by taking the test, which uses four techniques to assess body composition: 1) standard AR 600-9 tape test, 2) dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), 3) three-dimensional total body scanning and 4) bioelectrical impedance analysis. Researchers are looking at body size and composition and comparing them to soldiers’ most recent physical fitness score and to dates and types of injuries. For females, the study is reviewing the number and dates of pregnancies, delivery methods, and first postpartum physical fitness score and Army Body Composition Program record. Army officials said initial findings should be out in December, but that final data will be ready in six to nine months.
Marine Corps: The U.S. Marine Corps’ (USMC) Human Performance Office is collaborating with the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine to study body composition using various methods to assess fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density. The review aims to determine whether the USMC’s policies and standards balance “health, performance, fitness and appearance.” According to a USMC study webpage, the Quantico-based study, which began in June 2021 and extends through the second quarter of 2022, will inform the future of body composition standards in the Marine Corps.
Navy: The Navy’s body composition assessment protocols, dated April 2021, don’t appear to be under review. (See the guide at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Support/21stCenturySailor/Physical/Guide%204-Body%20Composition%20Assessment-BCA-APR%202021.pdf?ver=UXBxbuAy0713JcZBkRRy2g%3d%3d.)
Air Force: The U.S. Air Force recently removed waist measurement as a scored component of its soon-to-be-revamped physical fitness test, and distributed those points across three main fitness categories. However, Air Force officials said that waists may still be measured as part of a body composition assessment that was set to start again this fall, according to a May 26 news release. Officials said details would be released at a later date.
Velasquez contended that the military does not need to use weight at all in health assessments. Instead, service members’ fitness could be measured through calculations of metabolic rates, blood pressure or other vital signs.
“From our perspective at the Eating Disorders Coalition, actually having a focus on hitting a certain weight is still going to be triggering into an eating disorder,” Velasquez said.
Learn more
Review the Army’s news release on its study, dated Oct. 18, 2021: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/407457/us-army-evaluate-relationship-between-body-composition-and-physical-fitness.
Review the Army Body Composition Program guidelines, dated Aug. 16, 2019: https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/ard/images/pdf/Policy/AR%20600-9%20The%20Army%20Body%20Composition%20Program.pdf.
Review the USMC study webpage: https://www.fitness.marines.mil/Body-Composition-and-Resources/Body-Composition-Study/Marine-Corps-Base-Quantico-Body-Composition-Study.
Review the Air Force’s news release on its fitness assessment alternatives, dated July 2, 2021: https://www.afpc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2681139/air-force-releases-cardio-and-strength-fitness-assessment-alternatives-new-onli.
Read the Congressional Research Service report, “Obesity in the United States and Effects on Military Recruiting,” dated Dec. 22, 2020: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IF11708.pdf.
Health
Height and Weight
Mental Health
Physical Training
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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I went into the Army at 230 pounds. In School I played inside linebacker of a 4-4 defense and tight end. On the track team I ran the 1 mile, 2 mile (ran at state), threw shotput, discus and javelin. After AIT I was 215 pounds and always was in the top 10% on the weekly PT testing. I always maxed the old 500 point and later the 300 point AFRT.
All that being said I spent most of my army career being poked, prodded, weighted, and taped until I was sent down to Gorgas Hospital in Panama to be immersion-tested. After the 3rd time I was immersed the Chief Naval Medical Officer (Rear Admiral) stopped my COC from sending me via written letter to them and to be placed in my files.
It has never been purely about just your weight, but also about your AFPT, body tone, agility and performance ability/capacity. If your leadership calls you a fatty just because of a scale then they haven't read the pertinent regulations. They are more comprehensive than poundage. Weight is simply the first indicator.
All that being said I spent most of my army career being poked, prodded, weighted, and taped until I was sent down to Gorgas Hospital in Panama to be immersion-tested. After the 3rd time I was immersed the Chief Naval Medical Officer (Rear Admiral) stopped my COC from sending me via written letter to them and to be placed in my files.
It has never been purely about just your weight, but also about your AFPT, body tone, agility and performance ability/capacity. If your leadership calls you a fatty just because of a scale then they haven't read the pertinent regulations. They are more comprehensive than poundage. Weight is simply the first indicator.
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SSG Ralph Watkins
I am old school. I've see some of the most fit & dedicated soldiers kicked out for not meeting the height/weight standard. The crazy thing is the Army's answer was for them to do more PT. Muscle weighs more than fat & the military hasn't figured that one out yet. One guy was very religious. While everybody went out & partied, he lifted weights. When we would go on alert, he could carry equipment himself that took 4 others to carry. He was good at his job & dedicated to the Army. No, he must be a horrible soldier, a disgrace because he does fit into our pretty little model. They kicked him out.
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MSgt Nancy Wilson
Muscle weighs more than fat. I knew plenty of men who failed the weight test, but they were treated like they were MORE FIT. They were not mistreated at all.
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SFC Ralph E Kelley
MSgt Nancy Wilson - I won't say I was mistreated but I will say I was annoyed many times by people that barely passed the PT test and couldn't pass the SQT written or didn't understand their hands-on job duties..
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TSgt Mike Biles
The last time I was the"proper" weight for my height, I was a Skinny High School Freshman. At my fittest, I would be considered 20 lbs Over (no spare tire-or 6-pack... just right.)
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Maj (Join to see) Ma'am, I happen to have run around the P.T. (Physical Training) track; the fastest; in Basic Training.
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Maj (Join to see)
Same! I have never run as fast as I did in basic training again lol. Thank goodness the PT charts go down with age :)
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The problem with HT/WT standards is that they’re only good for those who are just endurance athletes (distance runners). They aren’t friendly to anyone who has any muscle mass, and more and more people are becoming hybrid athletes (lift heavy, run fast). It’s beyond time those standards get an overhaul.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
I haven't been close to being within by "legal" weight since I started weight training in 1990. Fortunately, the tape test works out for me. Getting my fat, post Covid ass back into shape, but I will be below 20 percent body fat at 2020 (not quite there yet). My lean body mass is back to around 180, but even the over 40 (and I am a lot over 40) BMI number for my 5'9" is 186.
Knees no longer like the run fast.
Knees no longer like the run fast.
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MAJ (Join to see)
CPT Lawrence Cable - based on the tape test, I stay around 18-20%, but I’d like to get a more accurate test. The weight the Army says I should be is 195 at 5’11, which is damn near impossible unless I just stop lifting and start only doing cardio. And that’s not happening.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
MAJ (Join to see) - I ran about 18% by the Tape Test at my highest service weight, about 205. I was over 40 and still scoring 270+ on the 18 year old scale. Never was real fast, the run kept me from Maxing my age group.
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