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Body composition, energy expenditure and physical activity

References and cutoffs for triceps and subscapular skinfolds in Norwegian children 4–16 years of age

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 928–933 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives:

To establish new reference values for triceps (TSF) and subscapular (SSF) skinfolds of Norwegian children 4–16 years of age, and to define cutoff values for overweight and obesity using the criteria of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF).

Subjects/methods:

A cross-sectional sample of 4606 children 4–16 years of age, part of a larger growth study, was used to estimate reference curves with the LMS method; suggested cutoffs were selected using receiver operating characteristic analyses.

Results:

Reference values for TSF and SSF are presented as percentiles. Mean skinfold size increased with age. Girls had higher values than boys over the entire age range. There was a strong positive correlation between both skinfolds and body mass index (BMI). For all ages together, a cutoff of 1.0 standard deviation score (SDS) gave a sensitivity of 76% for SSF, and 70% for TSF to detect overweight, with a corresponding specificity of 92% for both. To detect obesity, a cutoff value of 1.3 SDS gave a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 90% for SSF. Corresponding values for TSF were 86% for the sensitivity, and 91% for the specificity.

Conclusions:

This study presents new reference values for TSF and SSF skinfolds in Norwegian children 4–16 years of age. Both skinfolds had a high-discriminating power to detect overweight and obesity as defined by the IOTF BMI criteria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Medicine, Section for Pediatrics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    B Brannsether, R Bjerknes & P B Júlíusson

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway

    B Brannsether

  3. Laboratory of Anthropogenetics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium

    M Roelants

  4. Department of Public Health, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    M Roelants

  5. Departments of Pediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    R Bjerknes & P B Júlíusson

Authors
  1. B Brannsether
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  2. M Roelants
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  3. R Bjerknes
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  4. P B Júlíusson
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Correspondence to B Brannsether.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on European Journal of Clinical Nutrition website

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Brannsether, B., Roelants, M., Bjerknes, R. et al. References and cutoffs for triceps and subscapular skinfolds in Norwegian children 4–16 years of age. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 928–933 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.91

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.91

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