2001 Volume 1 Pages 9-14
The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of skinfold thickness (Sthickness) measured by skinfold calipers (CP) and ultrasound (US) methods. Subjects were 54 healthy males and 56 females aged from 17 to 39 years. Measurements were taken at 14 sites of the body, i.e., right cheek, chest 1 (superior and lateral to the nipple), chest 2 (the level of the xiphoid process), abdomen, suprailiac, triceps, subscapula, back 1 (adjacent to and level with the vertebra prominence), back 2 (adjacent to the spinal column and level with and just below the arcus costalis), thigh 1 (the anterior aspect of the thigh midway), thigh 2 (the posterior aspect of the thigh), knee, calf (the posterior aspect of the calf at the level of maximal circumference) and chin sites. In examining the re-test reliability of Sthickness at each site for 32 subjects, intraclass correlation coefficients of greater than 0.89 were obtained in both methods. Individual differences in Sthickness were greater in abdomen, suprailiac, calf, triceps, back 1 in males, and knee and suprailiac in females than other variables. Sthickness at these sites may reflect individual differences in subcutaneous fat distribution. The skinfold ratio (CP/US) for each site was highest in back 1 (3.05 in males and 3.38 in females), and lowest in chin (1.35 in males and 1.78 in females). Although significant correlation coefficients between CP and US methods were found in all sites except for chest 2 in females, correlations were lower than 0.5 in cheek, chin, chest 1, suprailiac, knee in males, and chin, chest 1 and chest 2, thigh 2, and back 1 in females. It is important to note the differences in measurement error between CP and US methods.
