Skinfold and circumference measurements can be used to evaluate the shape and composition of the human body. Skinfold measurements require use of a special caliper that painlessly pinches a fold of skin and underlying adipose tissue. About 10 standard skinfold measurements are made in out laboratory. Circumference measurements are similarly made at standard locations in the extremity, trunk, and head. The obtained information is then used to derive estimates of body fat, fat-free mass, skeletal muscle, and fat distribution. The Laboratory has several high-quality skinfold calipers and calibrated tape measures. Measurements of body circumferences and skinfold thickness have been carried out routinely in our laboratory since 1968. Since then, several types of calipers and tape measures have been cross-calibrated in a large number of subjects. We have evaluated the reliability of the prediction for body fatness and fat distribution by the anthropometric variables using reliable laboratory methods such as DXA and MRI as standards, and generated race, gender, and age specific prediction equations. We also tested the accuracy of the skinfold caliper by the direct roller measure at incisions during operation at specific locations where the skinfold thickness was measured by the caliper prior to the operation. The laboratory has serviced as a training center in several projects involving multi-center investigations. The laboratory also provides teaching programs to investigators or laboratory staff who are interested in learning anthropometry for physical fitness and nutrition assessment. The telephone number for this laboratory is 212 523-3390. Anthropometry Background and Applications History Anthropometric measurements are among the oldest applied in the body composition field. Early workers applied body weight, height, various skinfold thicknesses and circumferences, and other linear dimensions to characterize a subject’s fatness and nutritional status. Modern workers have calibrated various anthropometric dimensions against reference body composition estimates in order to develop specific component prediction models. This calibration approach allows estimation of total-body fat, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and other components from various anthropometric estimates. Anthropometric methods are widely available as they are inexpensive, simple to carry out, safe, and can be used in settings that range from the research laboratory to field facilities. Anthropometric methods have limitations including the need for trained observers, relatively high between-measurement technical error for some measurements, mechanical limitations of some instruments for the very obese, “errors” in some geometric prediction models assuming stable between-subject anatomic proportions, and population specificity of component prediction formulas. Application Anthropometric measurements include body weight, height, skinfold measurements, circumferences, and various body diameters. The use of these measurements vary, but either individually or combined they allow for reasonable predictions of body composition in non-obese subjects. For example, weight provides a simple measurement of body mass and thus total energy content. Skinfold measurements reflect the relative amount of fat for a given body site and may be used to describe regional adiposity. Finally, weight combined with skinfold measurements and body diameters can accurately estimate the amount of fat-free mass and fat mass. Each of these measurements will be discussed in more detail below. Body mass index, weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, is among the simplest anthropometric expressions that can be applied in body fat estimation. The following is a multiple regression formula developed by setting BMI as an independent variable with percent fat set as the dependent variable: % body fat = 64.5 ­ 848 ¥ (1/BMI) + 0.079 ¥ age ­ 16.4 ¥ sex + 0.05 ¥ sex ¥ age + 39.0 ¥ sex ¥ (1/BMI), with sex = 1 for male and 0 for female. Body fat in this study was measured using a four-component model as the reference method. The equation is applicable in Caucasians and African Americans while a separate equation is available for use in Asian subjects. Body mass index is limited as a measure of body composition as subjects of the same BMI or body weight may differ widely in fatness. Accordingly, BMI is considered a first level measure of body composition and higher resolution is gained by using other anthropometric estimates. A large number of anthropometric body fat prediction models are reported in the literature based upon measured skinfolds and circumferences. These methods vary in the subject populations used to develop the prediction models, and the selected reference methods. Some models rely solely on measured skinfold thickness while others rely primarily on circumference measurements. Geometric models allow estimation of limb fat areas using combined extremity skinfold and circumference measurements. An important feature of anthropometry is that selected skinfold and circumference measurements provide estimates of adipose tissue distribution. In particular, anthropometry allows for the estimation of subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution. For example, the waist circumference measurement provides a well-validated measure of visceral adipose tissue. According to National Institutes of Health Guidelines a waist circumference of 94 cm for men and 80 cm for women should be taken as the cut points for limiting weight gain while a waist circumference of 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women should be taken as the cut points for reducing weight. While at one time the ratio of waist to hip circumference was applied as a measure of adipose tissue distribution, today only the waist circumference is usually measured. The saggital diameter, measured as the largest body thickness in supine subjects, is also used as a measure of visceral adipose tissue, but few studies have provided evidence that this anthropometric dimension is superior to the simpler waist circumference measurement. A major advantage of using anthropometry for assessing visceral adipose tissue is the relative ease with which measurements may be made, although well-trained technicians are essential requirement. Anthropometric measurements are less costly and easier than an comparable CT and MRI studies, but with these advantages comes a loss of precision and repeatability. There have been many validation studies of anthropometric prediction methods, and most published total-body fat and adipose tissue models tend to cross validate when compared to reference methods. Among the various measurement methods, anthropometric techniques usually demonstrate the largest standard error and lowest correlation coefficients when compared against other techniques for estimating total-body fat such as DXA, BIA, or in-vivo neutron activation analysis. Some technical concerns should also be considered, including the requirement for technician training and the need for special calipers in very obese subjects. Thus, while anthropometric methods are useful in phenotyping subjects for fatness, anthropometry is usually not applied for individual subject evaluations, for examining short-term changes in body fat. Anthropometric methods are important in field studies of nutrition and obesity where other methods either cannot be applied or are impractical in the selected setting.