Body structure model characteristics in female students of Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation (FASPER) measured by the method of multicanal bioelectric impedance

Abstract

The goal of this research was to define the initial body structure model of female students of Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation (FASPER), University of Belgrade, as a person whose professional and work commitment is working with disabled people and it's perceived as a very responsible, stressful and atypical work profile. The sample was made of 125 participants (female students) of III and IV year of Bachelor studies of FASPER. Research was conducted in a Methodical-research laboratory (MRL) in Faculty of sport and physical education, University of Belgrade in a time period 2012-2017, in accordance with standardized procedure of applying electrical multichannel bioimpedance method with body structure analyzer - InBody 720. It contained twenty (20) variables, eight (8) were basic and twelve (12) were derived. Based on BMI it's claimed that 77.60% participants has a normal body status, but the prevalence of overweight students (BMI 18.50) is 11.20%, with 4.00% participants who were significantly thinness underweight i.e. poorly nourished (BMI>17.50). According to the results it was concluded that even 96.8% of sample was not in line with ideal or optimal body structure profile. For example, 63.2% participants has some form of body mass deficits (average of 5.25 kg) with mostly muscle component deficit 78.4% (average muscle mass deficit is 4.28 kg) and with body fat component deficit 43.2% (average deficit of body fat is 2.01 kg). On the other hand, 33.6% participants has a form of surplus (average surplus in body structure is 9.44 kg) where even 54.4% has a surplus of body fat component (average level of surplus of body fat 7.48 kg). The results of 4D body structure model of female students from FASPER can be defined like this: 31.77 L of Total Body Water (53.37%), 8.50 kg of proteins (14.26%), 16.98 kg of body fat (27.10%) and 3.10 kg of minerals (5.18%). Beside the probability that the reason of bad nutrition behaviour of these students is the cause of their increasing fat depots it's also a fact that 69.6% of these students are physically inactive and 21.6% just occasionally active, which mean that 91.2% of students was physically non active person, could indicate a most possible reason of body fat component suficit and body muscle component deficit as a main body structure characteristics.