SKINFOLD THICKNESS OBSERVED ON STUDENTS IN A WOMEN'S COLLEGE

On 34 students (member of athletic clubs : 19 students, control : 15 students) aged 18-22 years in a women's college, skinf old thickness at the following ten sites on the right side of the body were measured four times in a year. (1) Temple, (2) Chin, (3) Anterior axillary, (4) Triceps, (5) Subscapular, (6) Chest at the level of the tenth rib, (7) Abdomen at the side of the umbilicus, (8) Waist just above the illiac crest, (9) Thigh and (10) Calf.Skinf old thickness at many sites decreased significantly from January to October. In the control group and for senior students in the athletic group, this decrease of skinfold thickness recovered almost completely untill the next January. For first-year students in the athletic group, the skinfold thickness in the next January was higher than that of October but was still lower than that of previous January.The above results suggest that skinfold is thicker in winter than in summer and skinfold thickness may be decreased by the activities in the athletic clubs.