Comparison of ultrasonography and skinfold measurements of subcutaneous fat thickness in the evaluation of body composition

Objectives : To determine the amount of body fat tissue with skinfold thickness measurements is a common method to estimate the body composition. The other method used for this purpose is ultrasonography which is expensive and needs specialization to apply. In this study, validity of skinfold thickness measurements was investigated using ultrasonography. Methods : One hundred adult volunteers (50 males and 50 females) were used in this study. The ages of the subjects were 20 to 70, selected as10 males and 10 females for each decade. Subcutaneous fat thickness of the subjects were measured at seven body sites (submandibula, triceps, biceps, subscapula, suprailiac, thigh and calf) using a skinfold caliper and an ultrasound equipment. The measurements were made by the same person on the right side of the body, while the subject was standing in a upright position. Results : Mean ultrasonographic measurements were smaller than those performed using a skinfold caliper at all areas (p<0.05). Measurements performed with these two techniques were correlated significantly (p<0.001) at submandibular (r= 0.596), subscapular (r=0.692), suprailiac (r=0.706), triceps (r=0.751), biceps (r=0.752), thigh (r=0.802) and calf (r=0.849) areas. Conclusion : The skinfold thickness measurements made using skinfold caliper provides reliable information about the subcutaneous fat tissue.