Abstract
The aim of this study is to evaluate a kind of obesity in young women whose morph is thin and have relatively greater body fat. Three hundred eighty-five young females (age: 19.5±0.3 yr, height: 158.3±5.1cm, and weight : 51.3±6.8 kg) measured height; weight; and the percentage of body fat to body weight (%fat) using the bioelectrical impedance equipment. A new index for masked obesity (MOI) was determined from body mass index (BMI, weight/height^2) and %fat. The subjects were divided into three categories related to obesity which were defined as obesity (BMI≧24 and %fat≧30%), masked obesity (BMI<24 and %fat≧30%), and masked obesity reserves (25%≦%fat<30%). In addition, the subjects were classified into five groups by %fat of evexy 5% and then the averaged BMI and %fat were fitted to a regression line in both logarithmic scales. This regression coefficient of BMI was calculated as 1.897 (r=0.99), MOI equation was resultantly %fat/BMI^1.9. The standard value of MOI became 0.081 in all subjects. Since MOI was adapted for the sujects with %fat of 30% or less, MOI values in the masked obesity group and masked obesity reserve group were higher of 0.085, 0.083, respectively. As interesting point, the half of the masked obesity reserves group in which MOI was higher than the standard value (0.081) was equivalent to the masked obesity, suggesting that about 20% of all young females was defined as the masked obesity.
