title: Normative data for triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants.
abstract: Skinfold thickness is a validated parameter of subcutaneous fat accumulation. Data on triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were collected from 10,043 (5318 males, 4725 females) singletons at 12 hospitals with gestation 31-42 wk. The LMS method using maximum penalized likelihood was used to perform model fitting of the anthropometric centiles for these parameters. Both triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were greater in girls than in boys. Racial differences were found when comparing with other populations. The triceps subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants were significantly lower than those of US white infants but larger than those of African-American infants, Israeli infants, Spanish infants and Indian infants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides the first set of references for the triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants by gestation and gender. These data are helpful in determining the nutritional status of infants at birth and in assessing the postnatal growth of Chinese infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong. taifaifok@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: Tai-Fai
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Fok
authors.forename: Kam-Lun Ellis
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hon
authors.forename: Pak-Cheung
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Ming-Chung Eric
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Hung-Kwan
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: Tak-Fai Joseph
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Chun-Bong
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Wai-Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.lastname: Hong Kong Neonatal Measurements Working Group
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness