Evaluating upper arm anthropometric measurements.

Jelliffe's standards for evaluating measurements of mid-upper arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and mid-upper arm muscle circumference of American adults were compared with percentile distributions developed from the first Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). These comparisons show that the standards poorly represent the adult U.S. population. Replacement of the standards with updated sex-specific values is not recommended, as (a) no single value for each arm parameter can be considered as "normal" for men or women of all ages and (b) the expression of arm measurements as percentages of standards is an inappropriate method of evaluation. Instead, measurements should be evaluated by comparison with age- and sex-specific percentile distributions developed from the NHANES I.