Exploring Changes in Body Composition Before and After a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Season of Marching Artists

The purpose of this study was to observe the changes in body composition of collegiate marching band artists after a competitive season NCAA Division I football season. Thirty-seven marching artists (7 females, 31 males; age: 21.5 (1.4) years; height: 177.2 (9.5) cm had body fat percentage (BF%), fat mass (FM), android adiposity, gynoid adiposity, bone mineral content (BMC), and lean soft tissue (LST) measured before and after a competitive season of Division I football. Body composition measures were conducted using single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis device (Quantum IV, RJL systems, Clinton MI). Pre- and post-season differences in anthropometrics and body composition were evaluated using repeated measures analysis of variance with Cohen's <i>d</i> statistics to estimate the magnitude of effect. Over the 15 weeks, participants experienced an average body mass loss of -0.4 (2.5) kg (<i>d</i>=0.17). BF% and FM increased on average by 1.4 (1.8)% (<i>d</i>=0.78) and 0.95 (1.8) kg, respectively. There were small increases in both android (0.08 (0.2) kg; <i>d</i>=0.36) and gynoid (0.10 (0.3) kg; <i>d</i>=0.38) fat throughout the season. Additionally, BMC showed a trivial increase of 0.002 (0.1) kg (<i>d</i>=0.02), despite a large decrease in mean LST (-1.40 (1.3) kg; <i>d</i>=1.06). Nutrition and physical activity level may have led to physical changes. Interventions designed to maintain adiposity throughout a season may be necessary. Additionally, resistance training programs may be appropriate to help maintain or increase LST throughout a season. Healthcare providers should be aware of changes in body composition which may lead to higher prevalence of injuries.