The need for revised standards for skinfold thickness in infancy
Medical Research Council Dunn Nutrition Centre,
Downham's Lane, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1XJ
Correspondence to: Ms Paul.
Accepted 31 October 1997
Skinfold standards provide a useful indication of subcutaneous
fat. To evaluate skinfold thickness of 252 Cambridge infants over the
first 2 years of age, SD scores relative to the Tanner standards were
calculated, taking account of skewness in the standards. Cambridge SD
scores were low, varying according to age from 
1.2 to 1.8 for
triceps and 0.6 to 1.2 for subscapular skinfolds. The Tanner
skinfold standards were last revised 30 years ago, at a time of high
prevalence of infantile obesity, and the present and other studies
indicate that infants are now thinner. There is a need for new skinfold
standards to reflect this change. Since the Cambridge infants
contributed to the recent British height and weight references, it is
suggested that their skinfold measurements could also serve as
reference points.
© 1998 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
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