A study was conducted to evaluate the physique, body composition, ⁴⁰K (body potassium content; K) and skinfold thickness of severely handicapped children and adults. Seventy-two subjects were classified by physical activity level into four categories, and these categories were combined into an ACTNE GROUP and an INACTIVE GROUP.
The handicapped children and adults were evaluated for body height, body weight, percentage body fat (skinfold method and ⁴⁰K method), lean body mass (LBM), K (g), K/Wt (g/kg), and skinfold thickness, all parameters being measured in 1985. The parameters were compared with values found between males and females, cerebral palsy (CP) and mentally retarded (MR), and the active group (AG) and the inactive group (NG) .
The following mean values were recorded: ACTNE GROUP (AG) , age 16, 9 yr; height 132.5 cm; weight 27.9 kg; percentage body fat %Fat (Nagamine) 17.8%; %Fat (Forbes) 31.2%; LBM 22.7 kg; K (g) 49.3 g ; K/Wt (g/kg) 1.79 g. INACTIVE GROUP (NG) , age 17.0 yr; height 132.7 cm; weight 22.9 kg ; percentage body fat %Fat (Nagamine) 15.6%; %Fat (Forbes) 35.2%; LBM 19.1 kg; K (g) 36.5 g; K/Wt (g/kg) 1.68 g.
The values of body composition (%Fat, LBM) estimated using the formulae of Forbes, Garrow and Behnke, by the ⁴⁰K method were compared with those estimated by the skinfold method (Nagamine) .
Results for physique, percentage body fat, LBM (kg), K (g) and K/Wt were compared between males and females, CP and MR, and AG and NG. One of the most outstanding characteristics of handicapped AG was that body weight, LBM (kg) and K (g) were greater than in handicapped NG.