Assessment of Body Weight Standards in Male and Female Army Recruits

Army enlisted candidates are screened for obesity with height-weight tables AR 40-501 which exclude few young males but approximately one third of young females in the U.S. population. Another regulation AR 600-9 sets standards for retention in the Army on the basis of body fat estimated from circumferences. The suitability of accession weight standards with respect to the retention standards was examined by studying the effect of excess fatness on attrition from active duty, physical performance, and ability to achieve fat standards after basic training. Keywords Body weight Fat cells Anthropometry Recruits Physical fitness Weight loss Attrition Standards Army personnel.