[Anthropometric and nutritional study in young adults. Evaluation of submandibular skinfold thickness]

To describe the main anthropometric characteristics of a young adult population, to compare some measurements obtained with different formulas, and to compare these results with a reference population.

We have studied 72 healthy female university students aged 19.0 to 20.9 years (mean age 19.63). We have measured weight, height, body mass index (BMI), cervical and arm circumferences, and biceps, triceps, and submandibular skinfolds. We have calculated total arm area, fat arm area and muscular arm area using traditional formulas and others recently published. Means were compared using Student's t test and we also calculated Pearson correlations.

Concerning anthropometric measurements, they were similar to those of the reference population. Arm areas were different when calculated with different formulas (p < 0.000). All the anthropometric characteristics measured correlated with each other, except with height. Submandibular skinfold correlated with biceps skinfold (0.467), triceps skinfold (0.513), BMI (0.503), weight (0.476), cervical circumference (0.511) and arm circumference (0.505). Submandibular skinfold also showed a significant correlation with arm measurements, especially fat area (0.519, p < 0.001).

Fat and muscular arm areas were different depending on the different formulas used to be calculated. Submandibular skinfold is easy to obtain and is related with the other indexes of body fat. This measure could be included in nutritional surveys.