Anthropometric assessment and growth charts
How to measure and interpret BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip and waist-to-height ratios, triceps skinfold and mid-upper arm circumference in adults, and how to read WHO and CDC growth charts, centiles and growth patterns in children and adolescents.
Tier 2Medical sciences concept
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Anthropometry is the measurement of body size and proportion. In adults it estimates adiposity, fat distribution and nutritional reserve; in children it tracks growth against a reference population.
- BMI screens populations but misclassifies individuals. Add a measure of central fat (waist, waist-to-hip or waist-to-height ratio).
- Triceps skinfold and mid-upper arm circumference estimate fat and muscle stores when weight is unreliable (oedema, ascites) or can't be measured.
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Sources
- Overweight and obesity management (NG246): identifying and assessing overweight, obesity and central adiposityNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2025
- Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultationWorld Health Organization, 2008 (published 2011)
- WHO Child Growth StandardsWorld Health Organization, 2006
- CDC growth charts, including the extended BMI-for-age charts for severe obesityUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000; extended BMI charts 2022
- Child growth learning resource (module under revision in November 2026)AU/NZThe Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
- Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategiesWHO Expert Consultation, Lancet 2004;363:157-63, 2004
- Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
- Rubino F et al. Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2025;13:221-62Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology Commission, 2025
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
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