BODY-FAT PREDICTION FROM SKINFOLD ANTHROPOMETRY REFERENCED TO A NEW GOLD STANDARD - IN-VIVO NEUTRON-ACTIVATION ANALYSIS AND TRITIUM DILUTION

Skinfold anthropometry is a widely practiced technique often with litt le appreciation of its limitations. The large residual error appearing in any regressions of body density versus sums of skinfolds is primar ily due to biological causes, in particular the non-constancy of the r atio of subcutaneous to total body fat. Nevertheless this preliminary study shows that the residual error can be reduced by referencing to a gold standard other than body density. Using a difference technique i nvolving in vivo neutron activation analysis and tritiated water dilut ion, this paper shows that at least in 20-29 year old normal subjects the residual error (expressed as a percentage of mean total body fat i n the respective groups) can be reduced from 22% to 16% (p < 0.001) in males and from 17% to 9% in females (p < 0.0001). It is suggested tha t a large scale study could be initiated with this new gold standard t o obtain accurate predictor relationships throughout the whole age ran ge for both sexes.