Percentile scales for analysis of body composition in male youth

Abstract

For the purpose of present study five thousand adult males were selected randomly as subjects for the study. The age of subjects were ranging from 18–25 years. On the basis of chronological age, subjects were divided into eight different age groups: 18 years (n=640), 19 years (n=960), 20 years (n=760), 21 years (n=560), 22 years (n=540), 23 years (n=520), 24 years (n=509) and 25 years (n=511). Following variables were selected for the purpose of present study: body fat percentage, fat mass and skinfold thicknesses (chest, triceps, subscapular, and sum of skinfolds). The scores for each variable were gathered for all the subjects separately and then pooled agewise. Percentile scales were constructed to prepare the standards for body composition. Percentile scales were prepared for different age groups for the college youth of Delhi State. The percentile scales provide a basis for interpreting an individual's score in terms of his standing in some specified group. However, percentile scale is not considered a standard scale as the mean and standard deviation are not used in constructing the scale and the scores are not distributed evenly.