Han and Lean developed equations for predicting the percent body fat for an adult from the weight, lower leg length and arm span. The authors are from the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Patient selection: Caucasian adults from Glasgow from 17-18 years to 70+
Parameters:
(1) weight in kilograms
(2) lower leg length in cm
(3) arm span in meters
(4) age in years
(5) height in meters
(6) body mass index (BMI) in kg per square meter
Lower leg length is taken with the patient sitting, the foot flat on the floor and the knee bent to 90 degrees. The lower leg length is the distance from the top of the patella to the floor.
Arm span is taken as the distance between finger tips in meters with arms held outstretched horizontally and the person standing against the wall. No mention is made of which fingers are used; the distance between the index and middle finger tips may range from 0.5 to 1.0 cm.
percent body fat for adult male in kg per square meter =
= (24.2 * (weight in kilograms) / (lower leg length in cm)) + (0.256 * (age)) - 22.6
percent body fat for adult female in kg per square meter =
= (21.9 * (weight in kilograms) / (lower leg length in cm)) + (0.321 * (age)) - 8.1
percent body fat for adult male in kg per square meter =
= (1.27 * (weight in kilograms) / ((arm span in m)^2)) + (0.215 * (age)) -17.8
percent body fat for adult female in kg per square meter =
= (1.13 * (weight in kilograms) / ((arm span in m)^2)) + (0.312 * age)) - 7.4
percent body fat for adult male in kg per square meter =
= (1.33 * (BMI)) + (0.236 * (age)) - 20.2
percent body fat for adult female in kg per square meter =
= (1.20 * (BMI)) + (0.287 * (age)) - 7.8
