Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2025 Jun 26;20(6):e0326111.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0326111. eCollection 2025.

From fat to facts: Anthropometric references and centile curves for sum of skinfolds and waist-to-hip ratio in 2,507 adults

Francesco Campa  1 , Giuseppe Coratella  2 , Cristian Petri  3 , Fabrizio Spataro  4 , Davide Charrier  1 , Giuseppe Cerullo  1 , Giulia Baroncini  5 , Eleonora Faraone  6 , Giorgio Pio Alberto Marinelli  7 , Sofia Serafini  8 , Salvatore Vaccaro  9 , Matteo Pincella  10 , Pascal Izzicupo  8 , Antonio Paoli  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

From fat to facts: Anthropometric references and centile curves for sum of skinfolds and waist-to-hip ratio in 2,507 adults

Francesco Campa et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Direct assessment of skinfold thickness and waist and hip girths provides information about body fat and its distribution, avoiding estimation errors due to predictive equations. The present study aimed to provide new centile curves for the sum of eight skinfold thicknesses (Σ8SKF) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in adult population, and to identify breakpoints during adulthood.

Methods: The present investigation was conceived as a multicenter, cross-sectional study. Stature, body mass, eight skinfold thicknesses (i.e., triceps, biceps, subscapular, iliac crest, supraspinal, abdominal, thigh, and calf) and waist and hip girths were measured according to the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry protocol in 1,313 men and 1,194 women aged 18-65 years. Smoothed age- and sex-specific percentile curves were generated using the Lambda Mu and Sigma method. For both sexes, simple linear regressions of the dependent variable (Σ8SKF and WHR) versus the explanatory variable (age) were performed to investigate changes in the response variable's slope and to test for potential breakpoints.

Results: Reference percentile curves (3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th) for Σ8SKF and WHR were provided. In men, Σ8SKF increased by 1.0 mm/year between the ages of 21 and 59, while in women, it increased by 3.8 mm/year between the ages of 38.5 and 47. In men, WHR showed a progressive increase of 0.004/year until the age of 28.4, followed by a slower increase of 0.003/year throughout the lifespan. In women, WHR increased by 0.003/year from the age of 20-65.

Conclusions: Σ8SKF and WHR appear sex- and age-specific. Scientists and practitioners are provided with reference values for the adult population.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. The reference percentile curves for the sum of eight skinfold (Σ8SKF) in male (upper panel) and female (lower panel) participants.
Fig 2
Fig 2. The reference percentile curves for the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in male (upper panel) and female (lower panel) participants.
Fig 3
Fig 3. The time points of change for the sum of eight skinfolds (Σ8SKF) are shown on the left, and the annual rate of change on the right, with data for men presented in the upper panels and women in the lower panels.
Fig 4
Fig 4. The time points of change for the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are shown on the left, and the annual rate of change on the right, with data for men presented in the upper panels and women in the lower panels.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and adults. Lancet. 2017;390(10113):2627–42. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32129-3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Paoli A, Campa F. Problems and opportunities in the use of bioelectrical impedance analysis for assessing body composition during ketogenic diets: a scoping review. Curr Obes Rep. 2024;13(3):496–509. doi: 10.1007/s13679-024-00573-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stefan N. Causes, consequences, and treatment of metabolically unhealthy fat distribution. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2020;8(7):616–27. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30110-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Antuna-Puente B, Fellahi S, McAvoy C, Fève B, Bastard J-P. Interleukins in adipose tissue: keeping the balance. Molecular Cellular Endocrinol. 2022;542:111531. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111531 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Campa F, Toselli S, Mazzilli M, Gobbo LA, Coratella G. Assessment of body composition in athletes: a narrative review of available methods with special reference to quantitative and qualitative bioimpedance analysis. Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1620. doi: 10.3390/nu13051620 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types