Some anthropometric indices of body composition for elderly adults.

Weight divided by stature squared (W/S2) was computed from weight and stature, and midarm muscle area (MAMA) was computed from recumbent measures of midarm circumference and triceps skinfolds in a sample of 119 elderly white men and 150 elderly white women. Sex-specific means, standard deviations, and percentiles for W/S2 and MAMA are presented at 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, and 90 years of age. Women had significantly larger mean values for W/S2 at 90 years, but the men had significantly larger W/S2 values at 65 years and for MAMA values at all ages. The formula for MAMA was used because there is no systematic difference between values for corresponding standing and recumbent measurements. Weight divided by stature squared and MAMA are indirect indices of the degree of obesity and leanness, both of which are important health problems in elderly adults.