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ENGLISH
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The skinfold caliper is an instrument created by Tanner and Whitehouse in 1955 which permits
to assess the nutritional state of a subject thanks to the measurement of the thickness of the
skinfolds. It must therefore meet two precise and now universally adopted characteristics,
which are:
1) the two arms of the instrument must exercise on the skinfold a pressure of approximately
10 g./mm2
2) the grasp on the skinfold must correspond to an area of approximately 6 x 11 millimetres.
This instrument, in compliance with the above technical characteristics, thanks to the reading
scale in mm on the upper edge and indicated by the black arrow, permits to measure with an
approximation of +/- 2 mm the skinfold.
MODE OF USE
In order to make the measurement it is necessary to lift a skinfold between the fingers and
measure its thickness with the skinfold caliper.
For the tricep measurement (Fig. 1) lift the skinfold in the back area of the arm, exactly halfway
between the acromion and the proximity end of the olecranon. For the subscapula measurement
(Fig. 2) lift the skinfold in the region immediately under one of the two scapulas. For the bicep
measurement (Fig. 3) lift the skinfold at mid-length of the bicep. For the suprailiac measurement
(Fig. 4) lift the skinfold found on the side.
Once completed this operation, proceed with the measurement using the instrument and
immediately you can read the dimension in mm of the skinfold thickness.
The following page shows some values of skinfolds divided by sex, adults, athletes and children.
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