Changes In Skinfold Thickness Research Articles

Body weight, static and dynamic skinfold thickness in small premature infants during the first month of life.

The growth of prematurely born infants is different from the growth of fetuses of the same age remaining in utero. This is in part due to changes in body composition that occur after birth. In search for a practical and reliable method to assess the growth of small prematures, we analyzed data obtained in two anthropometric studies that included 180 premature infants of 750-1750 g weight at birth, and we studied the relationships between weight, static skinfold thickness (SSFT) and dynamic skinfold thickness (delta SFT, i.e. the percentage of change in skinfold thickness between 15 and 60 s after application of the Harpenden caliper). The results show that the SSFT increases steadily after birth in spite of a significant decrease in weight and delta SFT. Whether it contains fat or not, the fold of the skin is increasing in thickness at a time when by weight alone, one would have considered that there was no growth. The nutritional implication of this finding remains to be studied. Serial correlations of measures obtained at each period indicate that weight and SSFT have a good correlation to same measures in subsequent weeks (P less than 0.01). delta SFT, however, showed only a weak correlation (P = 0.05). The delta SFT follows the general pattern of known changes in total body water, but it is not accurate enough to determine changes in individual infants; further studies are thus needed to find a practical method to evaluate changes of body composition and its relevance in the measurement of growth of premature infants.

In Reply: Skinfold Thickness

We appreciate the critical eyes of Swyer and associates for the detection of our error in units of measurement. On review of our original data (Pediatrics 68:82, 1981), we found that rate of change in skinfold thickness should have been expressed in millimeters per week instead of millimeters per day. This change of units does not, of course, change the results of statistical analysis or conclusions derived. We look forward to further studies to elucidate the etiology of the phenomenon reported.

Use of anthropometric measures to assess weight loss

Circumferences of biceps, chest, waist, iliac crest, and thigh along with skinfolds over the triceps, biceps, subscapular, suprailiac and knee have been used to evaluate weight loss during two programs of weight reduction. 1) The interobserver variation was greater in obese patients than in lean ones, but there was no significant correlation between these variations in measurements and body weight. 2) Variability in measurement from week to week in obese patients at a stable weight was consistently larger for skinfold measurements than for circumferences. 3) The assessment of body fat using the sum of the skinfold measurements in four regions had a correlation of 0.94 with the calculation of body fat using height and weight. 4) In the first study of weight loss, relatively higher correlations were found between weight loss and changes in each of the circumferences than with changes in skinfold thickness. The subscapular skinfold was the only one that showed a good correlation with weight loss. 5) In the second study of weight loss, we attempted to improve reproducibility of sequential measurement of circumferences by measuring them each time at identical distances from the floor. In this study, the correlations were less satisfactory, suggesting that visual assessment of the “appropriate” region at which to measure the circumference of the waist, chest, and hips is better than a more rigidly defined one. 6) The use of skinfold calipers is not to be recommended in assessing or following obese patients. Neither of the available instruments has a sufficiently large grip to encompass the triceps or subscapular skinfold in many patients, and even when they do, the delineation of this skinfold is technically more difficult. In addition, the coefficient of variation for all skinfold measurements was substantially greater than for circumferences measured in the same subjects by the same observer.

The rabbit as a model for evaluating skin irritants: A comparison of results obtained on animals and man using repeated skin exposures

A new animal test for evaluating the skin-irritant capacity of cosmetic and drug preparations and ingredients intended for repeated application is presented. The test is patterned on the 21-day occlusive test on man. Substances are applied 16 times (uncovered) to the skin of rabbits over a 3-wk period. The two parameters of the inflammatory response evaluated (16 times) throughout the test as indices of skin irritation are redness (cumulative irritation score) and fluid accumulation (changes in skinfold thickness). Measurements of these two parameters are highly correlated ( r = 0·86; P < 0·001). Results on 60 test materials showed a significant correlation ( r = 0·30; P < 0·02) between the cumulative irritation scores obtained on rabbits and those obtained on man. The usefulness and limitations of single-application (Draize type) and multiple-application tests for skin irritation are discussed. Exploratory results with hairless rats and hairless hamsters suggested that these species were not sufficiently responsive to be useful in skin-irritation studies. A radioimmunoassay of skin prostaglandin E disclosed no differences between irritated and control skin, suggesting that this technique cannot be used as an objective measure of skin irritation.

The role of energy and fluid imbalance in weight changes found during field work in Antarctica.

1. The effect on body-weight of field work in Antarctica when travelling by mechanical transport has been studied. 2. A steady loss of weight (mean 6-2 kg) was found in field, and there was a slow gain on return to less arduous conditions. 3. Changes in skinfold thickness and hip girth suggested that the loss of weight was due to an energy deficit, and the gain was due to an excess of energy. 4. However, although weight was being lost the energy balance was calculated to be positive. This was probably because the expenditure was underestimated as the result of a failure to take into account: (a) the weight and restriction of heavy clothing, (b) the high-protein diet, (c) the difficulty imposed by the terrain, (d) the intensity of the subjects' response to the cold. 5. Daily weight changes were significantly related to climatic conditions. 6. Daily weight changes were significantly related to fluid intakes, but it was not possible to assess with certainty the contribution made by dehydration to the recorded weight loss. 7. Daily fluctuations in weight were greater than those previously found under more standard conditions.

The effect of human growth hormone on subcutaneous fat thickness in hyposomatotrophic and panhypopituitary dwarfs.

SUMMARY The changes in skinfold thickness over the triceps and under the scapula were measured by the same observer every 3 months in 21 children before and during treatment with human growth hormone (HGH). Eleven hyposomatotrophic dwarfs showed a trebling of their rate of height growth during the first 3 months of treatment, and in all, the skinfolds, measuring mainly the amount of subcutaneous fat, decreased during the first 3 months of treatment. In some subjects in this group the skinfold values tended to rise gradually again as treatment progressed. All except two of these children had very high initial skinfold values; the average percentile was above the 75th before treatment, and at the 50th after 3 months of treatment. Four children, thought to have the same diagnosis, showed little or no height acceleration; they showed also little or no response in skinfold thickness; three of them were initially lean. Two small normal children and one child with gonadal dysgenesis responded neither in height nor in skinfolds. Three children with operated craniopharyngiomas responded well in height, but only one responded unequivocally in skinfolds. We think the response in dwarfed children represents a true metabolic action of HGH, since there was clinical evidence of a rise and not of a diminution in appetite. The possible implications of these results in the understanding of the physiological events underlying the normal curve of growth in fat in children, particularly at infancy and adolescence, are outlined.

Changes in skinfolds during pregnancy.

1. Skinfold thicknesses at seven sites were measured during and after pregnancy in eighty- four women; in forty-eight of these, total body water was measured concurrently.2. Early in pregnancy (10 weeks) the skinfold measurements were highly correlated with each other and with maternal weight, ratio of observed weight to standard weight-for-height,‘dry’ (water-free) weight, and with calculated estimates of body fat.3. At nearly all sites, skinfold thicknesses increased up to about 30 weeks of pregnancy. Increases were greater at ‘central’ and least at ‘peripheral’ sites, and were not proportional to the initial skinfold thickness.4. From 30 to 38 weeks of pregnancy, the patterns were variable: the mid-thigh skinfold continued to increase and at the other sites there was little change or a decrease.5. All sites decreased by a surprisingly large amount between 38 weeks of pregnancy and the end of the first post-partum week. The evidence suggests that this change, which was not related to the presence or absence of oedema, occurred about the time of parturition.6. From the end of the first post-partum week to 6–8 weeks post partum, the changes were again variable.7. The increase of skinfolds during pregnancy was greater in underweight than in overweight women, and in primiparae than in multiparae. The pattern of change was not affected in any consistent manner by oedema.8. The changes in skinfold thicknesses during pregnancy, especially up to about 30 weeks, showed patterns similar to those of total body-weight and ‘dry’ body-weight. A formula is given by means of which ‘dry’ weight can be predicted from five skinfolds, height and duration of gestation.