Body weight estimation of elderly patients by nomogram.

OBJECTIVE

To determine a safe and easy way to estimate body weight (BW) accurately in nonambulant elderly patients.

DESIGN

An anthropometric study of ambulant patients.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred eleven ambulant inpatients, 108 males and 103 females.

SETTING

Inpatient departments of the University Department of Geriatric Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK.

MEASUREMENTS

Skinfold thickness of chin, triceps, forearm, wrist, subscapular, sternal angle, waist, suprailiac, knee, and calf; circumference of arm, forearm, thigh and calf; body weight, chest girth, abdominal girth, upper limb length, leg length, and body weight. Measurements were carried out by means of Harpenden Skin-Fold Caliper, tape measure, and bathroom scale.

RESULTS

Measured body weight in males was highly correlated with both arm circumference and chest girth. In females, measured body weight was highly correlated with waist skinfold thickness and thigh circumference. Nomograms for weight estimation in males and females were constructed from the regression equations for these measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

Convenient estimation of body weight in nonambulant patients may be carried out using nomograms, which, themselves, may be used as progress sheets to assess the effect of dietary supplementation on body weight.