Prevalence of overweight and obesity in collegiate American football players, by position

Objective: The authors' purpose in this study was to determine overweight and obesity prevalence in a collegiate football team. Participants: Eighty-five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football players volunteered to participate. Methods: The authors measured height, weight, and waist circumference (WC), and estimated body fat percentage (% BF) from bioelectrical impedance. Results: Body mass index (BMI), WC, and % BF were all positively correlated (p <.01), but BMI overestimated the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 50.6% of the cases. Fourteen players (16%) qualified as obese under all 3 methods. Offensive linemen had significantly higher % BF (p <.01) than most other positions, and on average this group exceeded the at-risk criteria for BMI (> 30 kg/ml), WC (> 102 cm), and % BF (> 25%). Conclusions: BMI alone is not a valid indicator of overweight and obesity in a strength-trained athletic population. However, some collegiate football players, especially linemen, meet multiple criteria for obesity.