OBJECTIVETo master the distribution of male and female soldiers' body composition with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method in order to provide data for building up the standards in comparison with those of ordinary residents.

METHODSA cluster stratified sample of 5968 graduated soldiers among different armed services colleges was measured by BIA. Five percent-95% distributions with in the upper and lower limits were established on basis of the above result. The crosswise comparison was also performed.

RESULTS(1) Five percent-95% reference ranges of people in the graduating class of armed services colleges were body fat percentage (BF%): 10.30%-20.70% (male) and 19.20%-30.10% (female), body mass index (BMI): 19.30-25.70 (male) and 18.00-23.99 (female), lean body mass percentage (LBM%): 79.27%-86.69% (male) and 69.89%-80.69% (female), muscle percentage (M%): 74.24%-83.96% (male) and 65.23%-75.27% (female), bone percentage (B%): 5.01% 5.77% (male) and 4.65%-5.51% (female). (2) Soldiers in the graduating class of armed services colleges have less BF%, more B% and M% than those of ordinary residents in the same age and the same sex.

CONCLUSION(1) Soldiers in the graduating class of armed services colleges have better body composition than that of ordinary residents in the same age and the same sex; (2) Standard of body composition for soldiers in the graduating class of armed services colleges should be different from that of ordinary residents, a new standard should be built up.