BACKGROUND: Body composition and types are often considered essential health indicators for lifestyle-related disease. Assessment of body type based on is regarded as a prerequisite in Ayurveda.
AIM: To correlate body compositions and somatotypes with body types.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 463 adult individuals was done. Anthropometric and body composition parameters were measured. Heath-Carter somatotypes and body types were also determined. Tests of association were calculated. Correlation and concordance analysis was also done to infer the correlation between body composition parameters and body types.
RESULTS: have significantly higher body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and body fat mass. have the lowest mean values in all body composition parameters with in the intermediate position compared to the other types. There is a strong and positive statistical association between body types and body composition parameters, except height. Cohen's Kappa analysis reveals there is a fair concordance between body types and somatotype.
CONCLUSIONS: assessment can explain an individual's fatness as it correlates with body composition parameters and could be used to predict risk susceptibility to various complex disorders.
