Race- and Sex-specific Reference Data for Triceps and Subscapular Skinfolds and Weight/stature

The best clinical indicators of percentage body fat on statistical grounds are triceps skinfold thickness in females aged 6 to 50.0 yr and boys 6 to 8 yr, and weight/stature 2 (W/S2) in men. The most valid simple clinical estimators of total body fat are W/S2 in females aged 6 to 50.9 yr and adult males 19 yr and older, and subscapular skinfold thickness in boys 6 to 18 yr. This report presents race- and sex-specific reference data for these three measures based on the First Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for individuals 6 to 50.9 yr of age. Data for Blacks and whites are presented separately because of the large differences in their distributions on these measures. When compared to data from the Health Examination Survey, 1960 to 1962, the present data show evidence of a secular trend toward higher values for triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness in the upper percentiles in adults. The tables presented can be used clinically, with the specified reservations to indicate percentage body fat or total body fat for individuals.