Anthropometric status and body composition in aboriginal women of the Kimberley region.

A detailed cross-sectional anthropometric study in which weight, height, three circumferences and four skinfolds were measured in 114 Aboriginal women aged 15-79 years was undertaken in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Highly significant increases with age were observed for all measurements except height. Subcutaneous fat distribution in Aboriginal women was found to be more central than in white women, and the use of triceps skinfold to predict body fat in Aboriginal women gave lower estimates of body fat in this group than did the use of multiple skinfolds. Further work is needed to determine the accuracy of applying prediction equations that are based on skinfold measurements in white women, to assess total body fat in Aboriginal women. However, the data from this study do suggest that for a given body mass index Aboriginal women have more subcutaneous fat (as assessed from four skinfold measurements) and, consequently, a higher percentage of body fat than have white women.