Skinfold Testing

Skinfold testing is an anthropometric method that measures the thickness of a fold of skin and underlying subcutaneous adipose tissue at standardized locations on the body. The skinfold is grasped and lifted away from the underlying muscle, and its thickness is measured with a specialized instrument called a skinfold caliper. Common measurement sites include the triceps, subscapular region, abdomen, thigh, and calf, although the sites used depend on the measurement protocol .¹

Skinfold thickness provides information about subcutaneous fat at the measured sites. Measurements from one or several sites can be considered directly, summed to track changes, or entered into prediction equations to estimate body density, body fat percentage, or other measures of adiposity. These estimates rely on assumptions about the relationship between measured subcutaneous fat and total body fat .^1,2

Skinfold testing therefore does not directly measure total body fat. Prediction equations are developed using particular reference populations and may not perform equally well in people whose age, sex, body size, or other characteristics differ from those populations. The technique also depends on accurately identifying anatomical landmarks and consistently grasping and measuring the skinfold .^1,2

Standardization is especially important because different skinfold protocols can specify different sites, fold orientations, landmark definitions, and measurement procedures. Measurements obtained using different protocols are therefore not necessarily interchangeable. When skinfolds are used to monitor change over time, consistent technique and measurement conditions improve comparability .¹