HAWC body composition machine provides valuable health analysis Published Feb. 24, 2011 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- It looks like something out of "Star Wars," but serves as a valuable tool that allows people to be aware of their amount of body fat, one of the most important factors in everyone's health, so they can change their diet and exercise plans. Common diseases like heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes and many forms of cancer are directly correlated to the amount of fat people carry around. The BOD POD Body Composition Tracking System at the health and wellness center, is available to anyone 18 years of age and older in the Keesler community. The BOD POD "will let people track and know their body fat percentage," said Master Sgt. Jeffery Green, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron health promotions flight. "This will allow the HAWC staff to offer them classes on diet and exercise to improve their overall health." According to the equipment's manufacturer, Life Measurement Inc., the BOD POD provides fast, accurate and safe assessments of fat and fat-free mass. It uses patented air displacement plethysmography (the study of measuring changes in the volume of the body or of a body part or organ), making it the most innovative device for measuring body composition. Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Kory Cornum, 81st Medical Group commander, was one of the first base people to take advantage of the BOD POD and he was a little worried by the results. The Feb. 11 BOD POD body composition tracking system analysis showed he has 29.1 percent of body fat which equates to 64.7 pounds of weight. Two days later he had to haul all that fat around the streets of New Orleans when he walked the Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon. "If I had been a more healthy 15 percent body fat, I would have carried 30 fewer pounds around with me and that would have been a lot easier," he commented. The HAWC purchased the BOD POD system after health promotion educator Patty McGruder heard about it from someone who had attended a conference where the system was featured. Sergeant Green used approximately $56,000 in end-ofyear fallout funds to purchase the equipment. "We learned Eglin (Air Force Base, Fla.) had the equipment and we knew someone there (dietician Theresa Herring, who formerly was a member of the Keesler HAWC staff)," Sergeant Green said. "We made an appointment to visit and look at their system and talk with them about how they utilized it. "When Ms. Herring demonstrated their BOD POD, I was the guinea pig for the test. We learned a lot from that visit and used the information to format our own BOD POD program here." LMI background information noted that "with obesity rising at alarming rates, regular, accurate measurements of body fat and lean body mass can provide the necessary feedback for staying on top of what can be an ever-changing situation. The BOD POD has the necessary accuracy to detect even small changes in body composition and it will provide the feedback that can be used to measure the effectiveness of fitness and nutrition programs, tracking the progression of diseases or fine tuning top athletic performance." LMI added that the BOD POD system is currently used in a wide variety of market segments throughout the world, including 38 military installations. To schedule a BOD POD analysis, contact your unit fitness program manager or call the HAWC, 376-3170.