Abstract

The purpose of this study is provide reference data for anthropometry and body composition and also to compare body fat estimation among skinfold thickness, BIA and NIR methods. Anthropometric measurements of height, weight, eight sites of skinfolds and six sites of circumferences were taken from 76 elderly male and 153 elderly female. Skinfold thicknesses, body composition and circumferences except waist were lowered with advancing age in elderly females and males. The degree of change with age vaired among parameters but was consistently and significantly(p<0.05) greater in elderly females than I males. Although sum of skinfold thicknesses and the amount of central and peripheral fat were significantly higher in females than that of males, the ratio of central fat to peripheral fat was significantly greater in males than in females. WHR is also significantly higher in males than that of females. This indicates that fat distribution of males tend to be centralized toward the trunk of the body than females. Estimation of body fat from skinfold thickness(male : 18.5$\pm$4.1$\%$, female : 29.7$\pm$4.0$\%$) and BIA(male : 19.5$\pm$7.3$\%$, female : 29.6$\pm$6.7$\%$) were similar but were significantly different from NIR method(male : 24.7$\pm$5.6$\%$, 34.8$\pm$4.9$\%$). Estimation of body fat by NIR measurement seemed to be more overestimated. Understanding the normal changes in body composition with increasing old age, and the ability to measure these changes and compare them with appropriate reference data are important for the health of the elderly.

Keywords

• anthropometry;
• body composition;
• BIA;
• NIR;
• elderly