Anthropometric parameters of armed forces personnel

Background: The prevalence of obesity has increased globally in the last few decades. Anthropometry is an accepted method of measuring obesity. Charts of weight for height and age as well as Anthropometric indices like Body Mass Index (BMI) are commonly used to define normal, overweight and obese individuals. Weight for height charts currently in use in the Army belong to pre-independence era. It is widely believed that these have been obtained from life insurance tables made for British / American civilian population. The World Health Organization (WHO) encourages its member countries to develop their own reference anthropometric indices.