Body Size: Tabled or Calculated? *

Abstract

Data from two studies (1,2) were reanalyzed using explorative techniques and new models. These data included 112 male and 42 female service members from which a wide variety of allometric determinations had been made, in addition to underwater weighings. This set of data was then used to compare the models formerly determined by the Naval Health Research Center and accepted as a standard for body fat determination by the Navy with a model and technique used widely in the pharmaceutical industry. The comparisons were made initially using the Statistical Analysis System (The Statistical Analysis System is a registered trademark of the SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) (Version 6.03). A later version (Version 6.04) contained a new statistic that was the key test used—Mallow's C_p statistic. Mallow's C_p statistic reaches a minimum when a best fit is achieved. The results indicate that the method used by the pharmaceutical industry, olcranon width, compares very favorably with the calculation from underwater weighing. It is suggested that body frame used by the pharmaceutical industry is simpler and more easily understood.