Bill Ross on skinfold calipers

Dear Pippa

Skinfold Calipers.

Here is a summary about skinfold calipers that answers your question and
points out the considerations in design, manufacturing, marketing and
techniques
that may be of interest to your group at the Nelson Mandela University
in Port Elizabeth, RZA. . Others mentioned may have additional
information. Servicing see item 15.

1. For many years the Harpenden caliper and Lange caliper were the
instruments of choice to measure skinfold thickness. We use the Slim
Guide to illustrate techniques since this is now the most popular
skinfold caliper and is usually the entry level professional instrument
used in many courses. There are systematic differences: Schmidt PK and
Carter JEL (1990) Static and dynamic differences among five types of
skinfold calipers. Hum Biol 62 (3) (June): 369-388 and Gore CJ, Carlyon
RG, Franks SW and Woolford SM (2000) Skinfold thickness varies directly
with spring co-efficient and inversely with jaw pressure. Medicine and
Science in Sports and Exercise, 32:540-546.

2. The Slim Guide skinfold caliper is an affordable alternative to the

Harpenden caliper. It yields approximately similar results and its
rugged ABS plastic construction, with high quality springs, guarantees a
long life of usage. In the hands of a trained anthropometrist, all three
calipers are roughly similar in precision, yielding percent technical
errors of measurement for a single replication as low as 5% depending on
training and technique.

3. Rosscraft markets Slim Guide calipers that are black with a silver
scale. It is also available in white with a black scale. They have a
similar dynamic action to calipers costing over ten times as much.
Made from high impact ABS plastic, the Slim Guide can be dropped without
damage. It is so indestructible we can ship in a manila envelope with
no extra padding. The scale of 0 to 85 mm is especially useful in
assessing skinfolds at the upper ranges, that are not accommodated by
most other calipers. Accuracy may be interpolated to 0.5 mm.

4. The International Biological Programme specified that skinfold

calipers have rectangular jaws and a constant pressure of 10 g/mm2,
with measurement recorded to 0.2 or 0.5 mm (Tanner JM, Hiernaux J, and
Jarman S (1969) Growth and Physique Studies, in Human Biology: A Guide
to Field Measures (eds. JS Weiner and JA Lourie), IBP Handbook No 9.
Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford and Edinburgh, pp. 27-28. With
interpolation, from 0.2 mm, a claim is made that the Harpenden measures
accurately to 0.1 mm: Tanner JM and Whitehouse RH (1955) The Harpenden
Skinfold Caliper, Amer. J. Phys. Anthrop., 13, 743-746.

5. The jaw pressure of 10 g/mm2 is for upscale pressures. The actual

compression force is about 8 g/mm2. (It should be noted that pressure is
really force per unit area and not mass per unit area, and while we are
obliged to state the reported findings, we do not wish to propagate
fundamental errors of units without mentioning them.)

6. We ought not to assume that the Harpenden is the criterion instrument

or that areas of the caliper pressure areas or the forces involved are
sacrosanct. Indeed, they are arbitrary. In fact the Malachristometro
(Correnti caliper) has linear rather than angular compression pressures
of 5, 10 and 15 g/mm2. There are only a few available in the world.
There is no recent data generated by them to our knowledge. They are,

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if effect, museum artifacts with some elegant design features,
particularly the parallel branches and settings at variable tension.

7. The Lange caliper has a pivotal pressure plate in an attempt to prove

less of an angle of application. This and other design features of the
Lange caliper are found in Montague, A (1961) A Handbook on
Anthropometry (Measurement of Body Composition, a contributed section by
Josef Brozek) Charles C Thomas: Springfield pp. 78-140. The Lange
caliper is still in use but is not wholly compatible with the Slim Guide
that dominates the market or the Harpenden that is the instrument of
choice if price, durability and range of measurement are not over-riding
factors. The scale of the Harpenden is often confusing the Slim Guide
does not have fine enough increments.

8. Joao Ricardo "Caco" Turra Magn designed a skinfold caliper that is

made in Brazil. It has pivotal pointer designed to make incremental
reading easier. The
Sanny Caliper also made in Brazil mimics the Harpenden Caliper,it has
promise but has not been thoroughly tested by us. A recent update of a
plastic caliper the Gaucho Pro by Francis Holway who heads our partner
company Rosscraft SRL Argentina is also a possibility. As you know, the
Harpenden caliper is fragile, the Slim Guide robust. We are concerned
with the shortcomings of all skinfold calipers in considering redesign
of instruments. This is in process but not a high priority since the
Slim Guide serves our main market.

9. It is interesting that those who favor the Harpenden and only use one
replication apparently are unaware that a single "independent"
replication (not immediately after
where there is a memory bias), the mean of the two reduces the technical
error of measurement by about 29% and the median of three reduces the
tem by 42%. Those who replicate and use medians have much more precise
measurement than those who do not. Replication does not affect the
accuracy since this has much to do with the location of the landmark,
instrument used and the technique of the anthropometrist.

10. The most knowlegeable person marketing all Skinfold calipers and
Heart Rate moniotrs is our long-time mentor, Wally Donoghue, Creative
Health Products. Wally Donoghue <wally@chponline.com>.. Chris Gore
<chris.gore@ausport.gov.au> is a valued correspondent. He points out the
hysteresis effect. That is down scale pressures are not the same as the
upscale pressures in setting the standard of 10 g/mm. He concurs the
ideal caliper would have a down scale pressure of 8 g/mm at 20 mm
excursion with parallel pressure plates, constant compression pressure
through a range of 2 to 100 mm excursion with rectangular pressure
plates of 5 x 15 mm.

11. While no present skinfold caliper is ideal, It should be appreciated

that the absolute errors for all calipers are very small. The size is
magnified when expressed as a percentage of the mean values.. Moreover,
use of median values of three independent trials reduces the total error
substantially, item 9.

12. A pertinent publication on the design and calibration of skinfold

calipers is that of: Hewitt GB, Withers RT, Brooks AG, Woods GF, Day
LA.(2002 Nov-Dec) Improved rig for dynamically calibrating skinfold
calipers: comparison between Harpenden and Slim Guide instruments. Am J
Human Biol.14(6):721-7. PMID: 12400032

13. Note: Teaching Right- and Left-Handed Trainees :

Skinfold measurements for the techniques in Anthropometry Fundamentals
are made on the right side of the body including the abdominal skinfold,
that was previously an exception. In training programs, natural left
handers are taught the grasping procedures first using their dominant

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hand, then the application of the caliper after site location has been
ingrained. Natural right handers are first introduced to the caliper
dynamics, holding it in their dominant hand. The techniques are the
same, the method of teaching differs.

14. SERVICING & CALIBRATING HARPENDEN CALIPERS

According to Chris Gore, A very quick test to see if your calipers are
even likely to be "in the ball-park" is to remove both springs and see
if the lower jaw falls open freely when the caliper is held vertically
(with the dial gauge uppermost). If the calipers stay "shut" without
springs, the pivot bolt is likely over-tight-- how can the springs exert
a correct force on a skinfold when they have to overcome all the
friction associated with an over-tight pivot-bolt? For those interested
in high quality skinfold measurement with Harpenden Calipers, we have
spent 5 years studying the factors that affect that accuracy of
measurement with this caliper. Our findings have been published in
journals, conferences and book chapters (see references at the very end
of this message). For instance, 1 g/mm2 decrease in jaw closing pressure
will increase a sum of skinfolds by ~10%. As a result of our work we
now can offer a first principles calibration service that means the jaw
pressure is precisely defined throughout the range of 5-40 mm of jaw
gap. A numberof years ago, the cost of basic calibration is $75
(Australian dollars, $45 USD) plus freight. Basic calibration includes a
complete service of the pivot and check of the spring co-efficient and
of jaw gap. A more comprehensive service and calibration may require
additional work on the dial gauge as well as new springs. A written
report is provided and our data suggest that calibration is good for 2
years if the calipers are treated with care. I have seen the amount of
work involved and it is often 3-4 hours so the fee is VERY reasonable.
IF INTERESTED CONTACT RON WALKER IN AUSTRALIA. at HIS EMAIL IS:
rewalker@ats.com.au

Appreciatively yours

Bill