Body Composition Measures and Anthropometric Indices in Active and Inactive Male Students in Zabol

Unhealthy lifestyle and inadequate physical activity in college can lead to overweight and obesity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate different body composition measures and anthropometric indices (body mass index and waist-hip ratio) in active and inactive male students in Zabol.
In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, 370 male students of Zabol University were selected using random sampling method in 2013. Data were collected using a researcher-made demographic questionnaire and Beck’s physical activity questionnaire (BPAQ). Data were analyzed using t-test via SPSS 16.
The results showed that there was a significant difference in fat mass index (P=0.008), body mass index (P=0.01), and waist-hip ratio (P=0.04) between active and inactive male students of Zabol, but there was no significant difference in fat free mass index (P=0.693) between the two groups.
Anthropometric indices and some body composition measures in inactive students was significantly higher than those in active students. Besides resulting in physical deformities, this inactivity is a risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases that can be prevented to a large extent by creating the culture of physical exercising in the universities.