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Updated: Mar 9, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancements in 3D Optical Imaging for Comprehensive Body Composition Assessment in Modern Research
Published on: June 7, 2024
Reliability of a 3D Body Scanner for Anthropometric Measurements of Central Obesity
Jose Medina-Inojosa1, Virend K Somers1, Taiwo Ngwa2
1Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Background:
Central obesity poses a significant risk for cardiovascular diseases, but the reproducibility of manual measurements of waist and hip circumferences has been questioned. An automated 3D body scanner that uses white light rays could potentially increase the reliability of these anthropometric measurements.
Methods:
We assessed the reproducibility of anthropometric measurements performed manually and using a 3D-scanner in 83 adult volunteers. Manual measures of WC and HC were obtained using unmarked, non-elastic ribbons in order to avoid observer and confirmation bias. The 3D-scanner was used to create body images and to obtain WC and HC measurements in an automated fashion.
Results:
The inter-observer mean differences were 3.9 ± 2.4 cm for WC; 2.7 ± 2.4 cm, for HC, and 0.006 ± 0.02 cm for WHR. Intra-observer mean differences for manual measurements were 3.1 ± 1.9 cm for WC, 1.8 ± 2.2 cm for HC and 0.11 ± 0.1 cm for WHR. The 3D-scanner variability for WC was 1.3 ± 0.9 cm, for HC was 0.8 ± 0.1 and 0.005 ± 0.01 cm for WHR. All means were significantly different (p<0.05) between manual and automated methods.
Conclusion:
The 3D-scanner is a more reliable and reproducible method for measuring WC, HC and WHR to detect central obesity.
