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MEASURES OF BODY FAT AND RELATED FACTORS
IN NORMAL ADULTS—I
INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY
R. C. STEINKAMP, M.D.*, N. L. COHEN, M.P.H.f, W. E. Siri, T. W. SARGENT, Ph.D. §
and H. E. WatsH, M.A.**
With the technical assistance of: T. McKey, B.S., G. Bron, B.A., E.M. Hutson, B.S.,
M. H. Rourke, M.P.H.tt, N. D. Kunkel, M.S., E. Isaacs, M.A. and A. T. Huber, B.A.
California State Department of Public Health, Bureau of Public Health Nutrition
and the Donner Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California.
(Received 15 November 1964)
THE DEVELOPMENT oflaboratory methods to determine body fat in the human hasgiven
impetus to distinguishing obesity (excess body fat) from overweight (body weight
greater than a standard weight for height and sex), and to developing simpler methods
for predicting the amount of body fat. There has been much interest in distinguishing
obesity from overweight since certain chronic diseases with high incidence and mortality rates have been associated with overweight. These diseases are of public health
concern. The availability of a simple yet accurate anthropometric tool to estimate
amount of body fat would aid in the epidemiological study of some common degenerative diseases and provide guidance for preventive measures. This paper presents the
methods used in the development of such an anthropometric tool.
{t is impossible here to review the voluminousliterature on body composition. Two
symposia conducted in the past five years [1, 2] and a monograph [3] provide documentation of the extensive and varied recent research in thisfield.
In 1921, MATIEGKA [4] first attempted to estimate body composition by anthropometric means in order to establish bases for physical fitness. He emphasized the need
for validation with cadaver analyses. From his approach was developed the concept of
standard weight for height. Other attempts to define optimum body measurements
have been made [5-7]. Since BEHNKE ef a/, developed the measurement of body specific
gravity [8] and the concept of lean body mass [9] considerable impetus has been
afforded the correlation of physical measurements to reference determinations of body
composition [10-13].
Supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grant CD 00009 (formerly A-5907}.
*Medical Consultant, Bureau of Public Health Nutrition, CSDPH.
tAssociate Public Health Statistician, Bureau of Public Health Nutrition, CSDPH.
tPhysicist to the Donner Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley.
§Staff Biophysicist, Donner Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley.
**Chief, Bureau of Public Health Nutrition, CSDPH.
+tDecéased 26 April 1963
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