Measurements of body composition is essential for health-related measurements and performance-enhancing reasons in sport. Although there are numerous ways to measure body composition, the method of skinfold calipers for estimating body composition is often disregarded as a good choice.
The main purpose of skinfold measurements is to estimate general fatness and the distribution of subcutaneous adipose tissue. Skinfold assessment can be quite reliable and should be considered as a convenient, practical indicator of total body composition change over time.
What are skinfold calipers?
Skinfold calipers are the instrument used to estimate the amount of fat on a human body. By taking a double fold of the skin and underlying subcutaneous fat with the skinfold caliper, trainers measure on various designated body sites such as triceps, biceps, abdomen, iliac crest, just below the scapula, the thigh and chest. The skinfold measurements are then used in multiple equations to predict percentage body density.
Which body fat percentage equation are mostly used?
The two most popular equations are those developed by Jackson & Pollock, and Durnin & Wormersley. Jackson and Pollock’s equations use combined gender, age, and the sum of 3 or 7 skinfolds and Durnin and Womersley’s equation uses combined age and sum of 4 skinfold sites. The most popular equation is one of the two equations developed by Jackson and Pollock in 1978, using three skinfold sites: the abdomen, thigh and chest (for men) or triceps (for women).
It is important to realize that the body fat percentages are only ever estimations and they’re based on equations, averages and assumptions.
In conclusion, skinfold calipers can be a cost-effective, quick, and relatively accurate measure of body composition over time. While the gold standard for body composition is still cadaver dissection, skinfold measurements can offer information about the relative fatness, the change in body composition over time, and potentially even the health of the individual.
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