The Use of b-Mode Ultrasound for Measuring Subcutaneous Fat Thickness On the Upper Arms

A study was carried out to investigate the potential use of B-mode ultrasound for measuring subcutaneous fat thickness at two arm sites. Data from two similar groups of college students (n = 64) were collected for the following purposes: (1) to determine at each of two separate arm sites if a single measurement of subcutaneous fat taken in the middle of a 8 mm cross-sectional sonogram was similar to the average of three fat measurements taken equidistantly across the same 8 mm sonogram, (2) to assess the reliability of B-mode fat sonograms repeated within 30 min, and (3) to examine the association between B-mode sonograms and skinfold assessments of subcutaneous fat. Measurements were separately made in the areas of the biceps brachii and the triceps brachii. For both standardized arm sites, it was concluded that the use of a single ultrasonically determined measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness was as appropriate as using the average of several thicknesses taken from a single B-mode sonogram. Further, ultrasonically-determined measurements of subcutaneous fat thickness could be reliably obtained on the arms for assessments repeated within 30 min. The reliability for triceps brachii area fat sonograms for men was, however, somewhat lower than for women. Finally, it was concluded that skinfolds and fat sonograms can produce reasonably similar measures of subcutaneous fat for women at both arm sites, while the same measures of fat thickness may be less similar in men. © 1985 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC