Anthropometry

Lauren Dawson & Gabrielle Kosziwka

Lecture Overview• Use of anthropometric measurements

• Direct Measurements– Height (Standing and Sitting)– Weight (mass)– Head Circumference– Mid-Upper Arm Circumference– Waist to Hip Circumference– Skinfold Measurements

• Triceps skin-fold

• Computational Approach (2D & 3D)

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What is Anthropometry?

• The theory of anthropometrics comes from the study of anthropology and is derived from greek ‘anthropo’ meaning human and ‘metron’ meaning measure

• It is the measurement of the human anatomy in terms of the dimensions of the bone, muscle and adipose tissue (CDC, 1988)

• Anthopology is used for determining a persons size, form, and functional capabilities

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Use of Anthropometric measurements

• Forensics and Criminology• Use anthropometry as a form of identity analysis through

skeletal measurements to determine biological facts such as age, race and gender (Reichs, 1988).

• Ergonomics• Make more functional work spaces• Create safe machinery and protective equipment

• Biometrics• Security surveillance used to describe individuals (Hong, 2000)

Direct Measurements

• Direct measurements are used to describe the dimensions of the body.

• Age is a key factor in determining which anthropometric measures are appropriate to use– Age groups are 2mo+, 2yr+, 4yr+, 20yr+, and 60+

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(CDC, 1988)

Body Measurements by Age

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2mo+ 2yr+ 4yr+ 20yr+ 60yr+- Weight- Recumbent

length (2mo-3yr)

- Triceps skinfold

- Subscapular skinfold

- Upper arm length

- Arm circumference

- Head circumference (to 6mo*)

- Weight- Stature- Sitting height- Recumbent length

(To 3yr*)- Triceps skinfold- Subscapular

skinfold- Upper arm length- Arm circumference- Waist

circumference

- Weight- Stature- Sitting height- Triceps skinfold- Subscapular

skinfold- Upper arm length- Arm circumference- Waist

circumference

- Weight- Stature- Sitting height- Triceps skinfold- Subscapular

skinfold- Upper arm length- Arm circumference- Upper leg length- Thigh

circumference- Waist

circumference- Buttocks

circumference- Suprailliac skinfold- Thigh skinfold- Biilliac breadth- Elbow breadth- Wrist breadth- Biacromial breadth

- Weight- Stature- Sitting height- Triceps skinfold- Subscapular

skinfold- Upper arm length- Arm circumference- Upper leg length- Thigh

circumference- Waist

circumference- Buttocks

circumference- Suprailliac skinfold- Thigh skinfold- Biilliac breadth- Elbow breadth- Wrist breadth- Biacromial breadth- Knee Height

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1988 and 2007)

Direct Measurements-Standing Height• Subject must be

standing with weight distributed on both feet with heels touching the base of the vertical board

• Instruct patient to:– Look straight ahead– Relax shoulders– Arms at sides– Legs straight– Feet flat and heels almost

touching– Head kept in Frankfurt

plane

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Position for Standing Height(CDC, 1988)

• Measurement is taken from crown to floor to nearest mm

Direct Measurements-Sitting Height

– Sitting measurements are taken by having the patient sit on a measurement box.

– The back and buttocks need to be against the backboard of the statiometer with knees straight ahead and hands resting on the sides

– Measurement is taken from the crown of the head to the measurement box to nearest mm.

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(CDC, 2007)

Direct Measurement- Recumbent Length

• This technique is used for infants aged 2mo to 3yrs.

• Infants are placed supine on the measuring board. The board measures from the crown to the heels of the child

• The measurement is taken to the nearest 0.1cm

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Infant being measured on an infantometer

(CDC, 1988)

Direct Measurement- Weight

• Basic weight measurements can be done using a scale in which the patient stands barefoot with minimal clothing. – Arms placed at sides– Weight evenly placed between both feet– Palms facing thighs

• Measurement is taken to nearest 0.1kg

• Other weight measurement techniques include under water weighing and body imaging.

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(CDC, 1988)

Direct Measurement- Head Circumference

• Head circumference is measured in infants up to 6 months as a predictor of disease and genetic abnormalities

• Measurement technique– flexible non-stretchable tape – Take out all clips, braids, etc. – Measure across the frontal bones of the skull slightly

above eyebrows and ears and around the occipital prominence at the back of the head.

– Find largest circumference, measure to closest 0.1cm

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(CDC, 2007)

Mid-Upper Arm Circumference

• Used on patients 2 months and older

• Measurement technique:– Surface of arm at the upper arm mid-point mark– Take measurement from lateral side– Measure to the nearest 0.1cm

• Practical use for this data is to determine the appropriate sizes for blood pressure cuffs (CDC, 2007)

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(CDC, 2007)

Direct Measurements- Waist Circumference

• This measurement has been shown to be correlated with many health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart conditions

• Measurement Technique:– Measure horizontally around waist– Tape must sit parallel to floor– Do not compress skin– Take measurement to closest 0.1cm

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(CDC, 2007)

Direct Measurements- Skinfold Technique

• Skinfold measurements are used to determine the amount of adipose tissue at multiple sites of the body (CDC, 2007)

• Measurement Techniques:• Mark spots to be measured• Grasp skin 2cm above marking with thumb and index

finger• Pull skinfold away from body to release muscle• Place calipers perpendicular to the skinfold and wait for 3

seconds before reading measurement • Read at eye level to nearest 0.1mm

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(CDC, 2007)

Direct Measurements- Skinfold Sites

• Skinfold Sites include: triceps, subscapular, suprailliac, thigh

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBJuVfiKrbY

(CDC, 2007)

Direct Measurements- Breath

• Breadth measurements are taken to nearest 0.1cm at 4 sites which include: biilliac, biacromial, elbow, and wrist

• Biiliac: with patient sitting, measure between lateral borders of iliac crest (the highest point of crest)

• Biacromial: with patient sitting, maximal breadth across the lateral boarders of the acromial processes

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(CDC, 1988)

Direct Measurements- Breath cont’d

• Elbow: patient standing, right arm perpendicular to body, flex elbows to 90 degrees with posterior wrist facing out. Measurements are taken at a 45 degree angle across the greatest breadth between epicondyles

• Wrist: patient standing with extended right arm. Measurement is taken by the most prominent part of the ulnar and radial styloid process.

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(CDC, 1988)

New Methodology

• Direct measurements are useful and cost-effective

• However…– Observer subjectivity and not perfectly reproducible– Not perfectly accurate– Physical contact is necessary

• So…– New techniques were developed– More accurate and reproducible– Physical contact is unnecessary

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2D Anthropometry

• 2-Dimensional digital picture. • Against a background with calibration criteria• Computer software extracts silhouette • Software identifies landmarks (either automated or

manual)• Software uses landmarks to calculate segment lengths

(Lin, et al. 2011)

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http://msis.jsc.nasa.gov/sections/section03.htm

2D Anthropometry

• Potential difficulties– Calibration. If initial measurement is not accurate,

no analyzed measurement will be accurate– Landmark detection– Posture. Calculations are based of only 2 dimensions

so the software will not pick up on any point in the 3rd dimension. (eg, slight bend in arm)

– Clothing. Alters accuracy (Kohlschutter et al., 2012)

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3D Anthropometry

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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSnukvZPuQQ

3D Anthropometry

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Applications:• Functional anthropometry

• Motion capture• Medical and fitness management

• Body composition• Understanding body shape

• Postural intervention• 3-Dimentional equipment design• Apparel industry

• One size does not fit all• Video games, movies

• Avatar creation (Lu, et al. 2008)

http://www.flcmidwest.org/200606_02.html

3D Anthropometry-Body Shape

How it works:• Project straight line grids onto the

human body• Curves in the body result in

distortions to the grid• Cameras capture the distortions and

compute the 3-dimentional shape of the human body

• In a full body scan, several hundred thousand points are produced, each with a x,y,z coordinate. – Automated landmarking

• Coordinates can be fused together digitally to create polygonal meshes. (Simmonds, et al. 2003)

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https://www.graphics.rwth-aachen.de/publications/1999

3D Anthropometry-Body Volumes

• Variety of programs• Biomechanics requires known limb volumes to calculate

moments of inertia, power etc…• Fluid immersion is a technique used to estimate these values• A 3D body scan can add precision to this measurement by

calculating cross-sectional areas and volumes.• A measure of whole body volume and density can be used to

estimate percentage of body fat (Rogers, et al. 2004)

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Advantages/Limitations

Advantages:• Accurate• Reproducible

Limitations:• Expensive- cameras, software, • Extensive set up compared to direct measurments

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References1. Reichs KJ, Bass WM. Forensic Osteology: Advances in the Identification. of Human Remains (2nd Edition). Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A. Charles C. Thomas Pub Ltd, 1998.

2. Jain, A., Hong, L., & Pankanti, S. (2000). "Biometric Identification". Communications of the ACM, 43(2), p. 91-98. doi:10.1145/328236.328110

3. Centre of Disease Control. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III: Body Measurements (Anthropometry). 1988

4. Centre of Disease Control. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III: Anthropometry Procedure Manual. 2007

5. Rogers, M and Olds, T. 3D anthropometry - applications to health and exercise science [online]. Sport Health, Vol. 22, No. 3, 2004 Spring: 21-3. Availability: <http://search.informit.com.au.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/documentSummary;dn=479377119363866;res=IELHEA> ISSN: 1032-5662. [cited 27 Oct 14].

6. Lin, Y.L., Wang, M.J.: Automated body feature extraction from 2D images. Expert Systems with Applications 38, 2585–2591 (2011)

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References

7. Simmons, K.P., Istook, C.L.: Body measurement techniques: A comparison of three-dimensional body scanning and physical anthropometric methods for apparel application. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 7(3), 306–332 (2003)

8. American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM). (2009). Standard terminology relating to body dimensions for apparel sizing. (Vol. 07-02, Designation: D5219-09).

9. Kohlschutter T., Herout P. (2012). Automatic Human Body Parts Detection in a 2D Anthropometric System. Proceedings of ISVC 2012, Part II, LNCS 7432, pp. 536- 544.

10. Lu, J.-M., Wang, M.-J. J. (2008). Automated anthropometric data collection using 3D whole body scanners. Expert Systems with Applications, 35(1–2), pp. 407–414.

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Thank You

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