Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T08:37:08.490Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The assessment of the body fat percentage by skinfold thickness measurements in childhood and young adolescence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Paul Deurenberg ,
John J. L. Pieters  and
Joseph G. A. J. Hautvast
Paul Deurenberg
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University, Bomenweg 2, NL 6703 HD Wageningen, The Netherlands
John J. L. Pieters
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University, Bomenweg 2, NL 6703 HD Wageningen, The Netherlands
Joseph G. A. J. Hautvast
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University, Bomenweg 2, NL 6703 HD Wageningen, The Netherlands
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The relationship of skinfold thicknesses to body density and of skinfold thicknesses to densitometrically determined body fat was evaluated in a group of 378 boys and girls, aged 7–20 years. According to their maturation level, they were divided into a prepubertal, a pubertal and a post-pubertal group. In each maturation group boys were older, had higher body-weights and body heights, higher body densities, lower percentage body fat, higher waist:hips ratios and higher trunk:total skinfolds ratios than girls. Body density in each maturation level could be quite precisely predicted by skinfold thicknesses. In prepubertal and pubertal boys and girls but not in post-pubertal boys and girls, age was also an important predicting variable for body density. The assessment of percentage body fat from skinfold thicknesses had a prediction error of 3–5 %, which was highest in the prepubertal children. The prediction error is comparable to the prediction error of percentage body fat from skinfold thicknesses in adults, as reported in the literature. Only in post-pubertal boys and girls was the waist:hip ratio correlated with measures of body fatness. Moreover, only in the post-pubertal boys and in the pubertal and post-pubertal girls was the waist:hips ratio correlated with another measure of body fat distribution, the trunk:total skinfold ratio. The relative amount of internal body fat was found to be higher in the younger maturation groups. It is concluded that at younger ages the waist:hips ratio is a poor indicator of body fat distribution.

Keywords

Skinfold thicknessBody fatMaturation statusChildren
Type
Body Composition
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 63 , Issue 2 , March 1990 , pp. 293 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1990

References

Ashwell, M., Cole, T. J. & Dixon, A. K, (1985). Obesity, new insights into the anthropometric classification of fat distribution shown by computed tomography. British Medical Journal 290, 1692–1694.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boileau, R. A., Lohman, T. G. & Slaughter, M. H. (1985). Exercise and body composition in children and youth. Scandinavian Journal of Sports Sciences 7, 17–27.Google Scholar
Boileau, R. A., Lohman, T. G., Slaughter, M. H., Ball, T. E., Going, S. B. & Hendrix, M. K. (1984). Hydration of the fat-free body in children during maturation. Human Biology 56, 651–666.Google ScholarPubMed
Boileau, R. A., Wilmore, J. H., Lohman, T. G., Slaughter, M. H. & Riner, W. F. (1981). Estimation of body density from skinfold thicknesses, body circumferences and skeletal widths in boys and girls aged 8–11 years: comparison of two samples. Human Biology 53, 575–592.Google Scholar
Deurenberg, P., van der Kooy, K., Hulshof, T. & Evers, P. (1989a). The body mass index as a measure of body fatness in the elderly. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43, 231–236Google ScholarPubMed
Deurenberg, P., van der Kooy, K., Paling, A. & Withagen, A. (1989b). The assessment of the body composition in 8–11 year-old children by bio-electrical impedance. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43, 623–629.Google Scholar
Durnin, J. V. G. A. & Womersley, J. (1974). Body fat assessment from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged 16-72 years. British Journal of Nutrition 32, 77–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fomon, S. J., Haschke, F., ZieglerE, E. E, E. & Nelson, S. E. (1982). Body composition of reference children from birth to age 10 years, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 35, 1169–1175.Google Scholar
Forbes, G. B. (1987). Human Body Composition. Berlin: Springer Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, R. M., Cooper, A. R. & Mitchell, H. H. (1953). The composition of the adult human body as determined by chemical analyses. Journal of Biological Chemistry 203, 359–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, R. M., Mitchell, H. H. & Cooper, A. R. (1956). Further studies on the gross composition and mineral elements of the human body. Journal of Biological Chemistry 233, 969–975.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frisancho, A. R. (1981). New norms of upper limb fat and muscle areas for assessment of nutritional status. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 2540–2545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gillum, R. F. (1987). The association of the ratio of waist to hip girth with blood pressure, serum cholesterol and serum uric acid in children and youths aged 6–17 years. Journal of Chronic Diseases 40, 413–420.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lohman, T. G. (1986). Applicability of body composition techniques and constants for children and youths. Exercise Sports Sciences Reviews 14, 325–357.Google ScholarPubMed
Lohman, T. G., Slaughter, M. H., Boileau, R. A., Bunt, J. & Lussier, L. (1984). Bone mineral measurements and their relation to bone density in children, youths and adults. Human Biology 56, 667–679.Google ScholarPubMed
Lukaski, H. C. (1987). Methods for the assessment of human body composition: traditional and new. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 46, 537–556.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mendez, J. & Lukaski, H. C. (1981). Variability of body density in ambulatory subjects measured at different days. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 78–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, H. H., Hamilton, T. S., Steggarda, F. R. & Bean, H. W. (1945). The chemical composition of the adult human body and its bearing on the biochemistry of growth. Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, 625–637.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roede, M. J. & van Wieringen, J. C. (1985). Growth diagrams 1980, Netherlands third nationwide survey. Tijdschrift Sociale Gezondheidszorg 63, Suppl. 1–34.Google Scholar
Rolland-Cachera, M. F., Sempé, F., Guillod-Bataille, M. M., Patois, E., Pequignot-Guggenbuhl, F. & Fautrad, V. (1982). Adiposity indices in children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 36, 178–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seidell, J. C., Oosterlee, A., Thyssen, M. O. A., Burema, J., Deurenberg, P., Hautvast, J. G. A. J. & Ruys, J. H. J. (1987). Assessment of intra-abdominal and subcutaneous abdominal fat: relation between anthropometry and computed tomography. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 45, 7–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siri, W. E. (1961). Body composition from fluid spaces and density: analysis of methods. In Techniques for Measuring Body Composition, pp. 223–244, [Brozek, J. and Henschel, A., editors]. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.Google Scholar
Slaughter, M. H., Lohman, T. G., Boileau, R. A., Horswill, C. A., Stillman, R. J., van Loan, M. D. & Bemben, D. A. (1988). Skinfold equations for estimation of body fatness in children and youths. Human Biology 60, 709–723.Google Scholar
SPSS (1988). Base Manual SPSS/PC + V2.0. Chicago, Illinois: SPSS Corp.Google Scholar
Tanner, J. M. (1962). Growth and Adolescence. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Van Wieringen, J. C., Wafelbakker, F. & Verbrugge, H. B. (1968). Groeidiagrammen Nederland. Groningen, The Netherlands: Wolters-Noordhoff.Google Scholar
Weits, T., van der Beek, E. J., Wedel, M. & ter Haar Romeney, B. M. (1988). Computed tomography measurements of abdominal fat depositions in relation to anthropometry. International Journal of Obesity 12, 217–225.Google ScholarPubMed
Weststrate, J. & Deurenberg, P. (1988). Body composition in children: proposal for a method to calculate body fat percentage from total body density or skinfold thickness measurements. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 1104–1115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weststrate, J., Deurenberg, P. & van Tinteren, H. (1989). Indices of body fat distribution and adiposity in Dutch children from birth to 18 years of age. International Journal of Obesity 13, 465–478.Google ScholarPubMed
Widdowson, E. M., McCance, R. A. & Spray, C. M. (1951). The chemical composition of the human body. Clinical Science 10, 113–125.Google ScholarPubMed