Growth Assessment
Praveen S. Goday, Cassandra L. S. Walia in Pediatric Nutrition for Dietitians, 2022
Skinfold thickness measures subcutaneous body fat and is an indicator of total body fat composition. Triceps skinfold (TSFT) measures subcutaneous fat on the limbs and subscapular skinfold (SSFT) measures subcutaneous fat on the body trunk (Tables 1.11 and 1.12). Skinfold thickness varies based on age and gender with assessment of measurement based on median and standard deviations of the population. TSFT measurement is the most common and correlates with estimates of total body fat in women and children whereas SSFT is shown to be the best predictor of total body fat in men. TSFT and SSFT are not indicated as short-term measurements of fat stores. Skinfold thickness may not reflect total body fat stores and may not correlate with visceral fat deposits surrounding internal organs.
Methods of nutritional assessment and surveillance
Geoffrey P. Webb in Nutrition, 2019
For many years, the traditional method for more direct estimation of fatness in people was measurement of skinfold thickness using skinfold calipers. Spring-loaded calipers are used which exert a constant pressure on a fold of skin and the thickness of the skinfold is indicated on a meter. The thickness of the skinfold will be largely dependent upon the amount of fat stored subcutaneously in the region of the skinfold. Skinfold thickness is measured at several sites and the assumption is made that the amount of fat stored subcutaneously at these sites (as measured by the skinfold thickness) will be representative of the total amount of body fat. In one method, skinfold thickness in millimetres is determined at four sites: over the triceps muscle; over the biceps; in the subscapular region and in the supra iliac region. The total of these four skinfolds is then translated into an estimate of percentage body fat using a calibration table or formula. Table 3.5 shows a table that can be used to estimate percentage fatness from these four skinfolds. The single triceps skinfold thickness is sometimes used in nutritional surveys. It has the obvious advantage, in such circumstances, that it can be measured quickly and without the need for subjects to undress.
Estimation of Body Fat in Infants, Children, and Adolescents
Fernand P. Bonnet in Adipose Tissue in Childhood, 2019
Often skinfold measurements are combined with other anthropometric methods (skeletal diameters and circumferences of trunk or limbs) in attempts to predict body fat. Dauncey et al.54 suggest a method with two skinfolds and nine body dimensions to calculate body fat in infancy. Crawford et al.,55 in a study using 22 anthropometric variables, arrived at the simple conclusion that the single best indicator of obesity at 6 months of age was weight gain greater than 5.34 kg from 0 to 6 months. Anthropometric measurements are easy to perform, but a recent article criticizes a wider use of anthropometry.56 In this paper a prepubertal girl is described with percent body fat of 18.8 (determined with densitometry). Two different anthropometric equations predicted body fat as 26.1 and 13.0%, respectively, a magnitude of error which is unacceptable. This error and many other critical points in the article are the basis for the statement: “The use of anthropometric measurements to predict % body fat cannot be justified on the basis of convenience or simplicity if the error involved nullifies the usefulness of the data.”56 This critical view is shared by Bray et al.,57 who found no value in following individual obese patients with skinfolds during treatment.
Behavioral thermoregulation in older adults with cardiovascular co-morbidities
Published in Temperature, 2018
Zachary J. Schlader, Gregory L. Coleman, James R. Sackett, Suman Sarker, Christopher L. Chapman, David Hostler, Blair D. Johnson
Height and weight were measured with a stadiometer and scale (Sartorius Corp. Bohemia, NY, USA), and body surface area was calculated accordingly.30 Skinfold thickness was measured in triplicate at the chest, axilla, triceps, subscapula, abdomen, suprailliac, and thigh (Harpenden, Baty International, UK), and percent body fat was estimated from body density,31 which was calculated from the sum of skinfolds for males32 and females.33 Urine specific gravity was measured in duplicate using a refractometer (Atago USA, Inc., Bellevue, WA, USA). Physical activity level was estimated using the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire34 and cognitive ability was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.35
The BDNF rs6265 variant may interact with overweight and obesity to influence obesity-related physical, metabolic and behavioural traits in Pakistani individuals
Published in Annals of Human Biology, 2018
Sobia Rana, Saad Mirza, Soma Rahmani
Height was measured in centimetres to the nearest 0.5 cm using portable stadiometers (Seca 214, Germany), while weight was measured in kilograms (to the nearest 0.5 Kg) using mechanical weight scales (Seca 755, Germany). Subsequently, the BMI (weight in Kg/height in metres2) of each subject was calculated. Waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) were measured using measuring tape in centimetres (to the nearest 1 cm). WC was measured midway between the lower margin of the last rib and the iliac crest, while HC was measured around the pelvis at the point of maximal protrusion of the buttocks. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was calculated by taking the ratio of WC and HC of each subject. Skinfold thicknesses from the abdomen, suprailliac, thighs and triceps were measured in millimetres with 1 mm accuracy using skinfold callipers (model C-120B, Slim guide, MI, USA). Skinfold measurements were used to calculate the percentage of total body fat (%BF) using gender-specific formulas (Jackson and Pollock 1985).
Impact of body composition on physical fitness components in the Mexican Navy: Is overweight an issue?
Published in Cogent Medicine, 2020
Laura Sánchez-Chapul, Jesús F. Valencia-León, Mario Acevedo-Mora, Erika Estrada-Camarena, José U. Baños-Vázquez, Egner Hernández-Zamudio, José. A Rangel-Sánchez, Israel Gutiérrez-García, Gabriela Martínez-Nava, Liliana Téllez-Cárdenas, Diego Mirabent-Amor, José G. Franco-Sánchez, Luis A. Bonilla-Arcuate, Alexandra Luna-Angulo, Ámbar López-Macay
Anthropometric measurements were used to assess weight, height, diameters, circumference, and skinfolds to determine the BC according to the ISAK guidelines (Marfell-Jones et al., 2012). The measurements were obtained, on the same day, in the same session to avoid technical measurement errors. Naval personnel had a 12-hour fast, without lotions or body oils on their bodies, and without having done any type of exercise, and using only shorts. Twenty-five anthropometric variables were measured, of which 21 were part of the restricted profile of ISAK, and 4 additional variables (maximum waist circumference, forearm fold, chest fold, and left abdominal fold). Skinfold thicknesses were measured using calibrated skinfold calipers (Slim Guide) and a short-branch anthropometer (Cescorf). The measurements were made by two anthropometrists certified with level 2 by ISAK.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Histology
- Inflammation
- Muscle
- Dermis
- Infection
- Skin
- Muscle Cell
- Species
- Ileocecal Fold
- Sulcus