PLOS ONE · 15 authors, 4 centres
This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.
A cross-sectional study of 239 US Military Academy cadets used a 3D body scanner to classify participants into five distinct body shape clusters. The analysis found that performance on the Army Combat Fitness Test was associated with these body shape groups, providing more nuance than grouping solely by sex.
This cross-sectional study analyzed 239 US Military Academy cadets to explore associations between body shape, measured via a Styku 3D scanner at 20 body sites, and performance on the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Using k-means cluster analysis, the researchers identified five distinct body shape groups. The two clusters described as 'V' shaped males and larger males demonstrated the highest performance on all ACFT events except the 2-mile run. Correlation analysis showed that larger forearm and bicep circumferences were positively associated with better performance on most events, while larger lower bicep and mid-thigh circumferences were associated with lower performance on some events. The study concludes that body shape groups are associated with different performance levels, offering potential for targeted training programs beyond sex-based categorization. A key limitation is that the study establishes correlation, not causation, and the findings may not generalize to the modified ACFT with its age- and sex-specific scoring and plank event replacement.
