References and cutoffs for triceps and subscapular skinfolds in Norwegian children 4-16 years of age

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To establish new reference values for triceps (TSF) and subscapular (SSF) skinfolds of Norwegian children 4-16 years of age, and to define cutoff values for overweight and obesity using the criteria of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 4606 children 4-16 years of age, part of a larger growth study, was used to estimate reference curves with the LMS method; suggested cutoffs were selected using receiver operating characteristic analyses. RESULTS: Reference values for TSF and SSF are presented as percentiles. Mean skinfold size increased with age. Girls had higher values than boys over the entire age range. There was a strong positive correlation between both skinfolds and body mass index (BMI). For all ages together, a cutoff of 1.0 standard deviation score (SDS) gave a sensitivity of 76% for SSF, and 70% for TSF to detect overweight, with a corresponding specificity of 92% for both. To detect obesity, a cutoff value of 1.3 SDS gave a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 90% for SSF. Corresponding values for TSF were 86% for the sensitivity, and 91% for the specificity. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents new reference values for TSF and SSF skinfolds in Norwegian children 4-16 years of age. Both skinfolds had a high-discriminating power to detect overweight and obesity as defined by the IOTF BMI criteria.