Physical fitness and anthropometric characteristics of Royal Thai Army personnel.

The objective of the present study was to determine the relationship between physical fitness and anthropometric characteristics in Royal Thai Army (RTA) personnel. Body weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference and blood pressure were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Subsequently, 4,030 males aged 20 to 60 years were field tested using 2-minute push ups/sit-ups and 2-kilometer run to measure muscular strength/endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance, respectively. Data were analyzed for the relationships between BMI and anthropometric variables and blood pressure and physical fitness results. The average BMI for RTA personnel was 24.0 +/- 3.3 kg/m2. Correlation coefficient between BMI and waist circumference (r = 0.847, p < 0.001) was better than BMI and WHR (r = 0.553, p < 0.001). Both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) had a significant positive correlation with BMI. The numbers of push-ups/sit-ups had a negative correlation with BMI (r = -0.121 and -0.109, respectively), whereas 2-kilometer run times had a positive correlation with BMI (r = 0.291, p < 0.001). In conclusion, RTA personnel with increasing BMI tend to have low physical fitness level.