Anthropometry Measurement Error

and Technical error of Measurement

(TEM)

Dr. Anup Adhikari,

International Instructor in Kinanthropometry
Exercise Physiologist
and
Level 3 Kinanthropometrist
 Introduction
• If an anthropometrist measures a subject’s skinfolds
repeatedly, for example on several successive days,
the measurements will usually vary.
• A small part of the variability may be due to
biological changes in the subject.
• The major part will probably be due to inconsistency
in the technique of the anthropometrist.
For example,
When skinfolds are being measured, the location of the sites on the
body may vary slightly from measurement to measurement
or
the equipment being used may be calibrated to a different level each
time.
So, it is advantage of an anthropometrist to minimize the technical
variability or error.
 In the literature of
measurement of Error,
4 topics are predominated
 Precision or Correctness
 Reliability or Dependability
 Accuracy or Correctness
 Validity or Rightness
 Precision
The observed variability in repeated
measurements taken on the same subjects
determine the level of precision.
High precision corresponds to low variability.
And
This is the aim of a competent anthropometrist.
 Reliability

• When question of precision comes, the levels of reliability

or dependability usually follow it.
• When level of precision are quoted in a technical report,
then readers need to know both the units and the
acceptable standards in order to access the precision of
each variable.
• An alternative is to quote the level of reliability, which are
often correlation coefficients and therefore no units.
• The measures of precision and reliability differ in their
units, and limited to their possible values.
 Accuracy
• It is important that the measurement obtained by an
anthropometrist on a particular subject should be close to
the real value .
• The extent to which a measured value corresponds to the
real value is the accuracy of the measurement.
• But what is real value ? There is no machine which
measures skinfolds, for example, with absolute accuracy.
Thus, when accuracy of a measurement is to be
determined, it is usually compared with the value obtained
by a highly-skilled and experienced anthropometrist ( for
example , a level 3 or Level 4 anthropometrist).
• The value obtained by such a person ( called “ criterion”
measurer ) are assumed to be the real values for variables on
average
 Validity
• The fourth aspects of measurement error is validity, which
is the extent to which a measurer actually measures a
characteristic.
For example: the variable under study may be general
characteristics of “ Physical Fitness” of subjects.
• A variable or combination of variables , which proved to
be poor indicators of physical fitness, according to some
specific criteria, would be said to have low validity.

However, the validity is rarely of concern for

anthropometric measurements since the variables
which are measured are usually well defined.
 Measure of precision and reliability – TEM
The measure of precision is the Technical Error of
Measurement ( TEM).
TEM is defined as the standard deviation of repeated
measurements taken independently of one another on
the same subject.
The units of the TEM are the same as the units of the
variable measured.
It will be assumed that the same anthropometrist makes
all of the measurement and the TEM is therefore intra-
examiner ( or intra-tester) TEM.
The standard deviation of measurements taken
independently on the same subject by two or more
anthropometrists is inter-examiner ( or inter-tester) TEM.
 ……………………More about TEM

• The inter tester TEM would be expected to

exceed intra-examiner TEM if there were
consisted differences between the
anthropometrists.
• If one of the two measurements on each subject is
made by a criterion measurer, the inter-tester TEM
may be used to investigate the accuracy of the
anthropometrist who made the second
measurement on each subject.
 The size of the TEM will often be
associated with the mean of the variable .
TEM is low for skinfold data when sample mean is low.
Similarly,
TEM is high when sample mean is high.
• To facilitate the comparison of TEM of TEMs
collected on different variables or different
populations, the following formula may be used to convert
the absolute TEM to a relative TEM ( % TEM):
% TEM =TEM / mean X 100
where mean is the overall mean of the variables which has
been measured.
The relative TEM gives the error as a percentage of the
overall mean and has no units.
 Target intra-and inter tester TEM for three accreditation levels

Level 1 Within –course Post-course

Intra-tester Skinfolds 10 % 7.5 %
Other 2.0 % 1.5 %

Inter-tester Skinfolds 12.5 % 10 %

Other 2.5 % 2%

Level 2 and Level 3

Intra-tester Skinfolds 7.5 % 5.0 %
Other 1.5 % 1.0 %
Inter –tester Skinfolds 10 % 7.5 %
Other 2.0 % 1.0 %
 Calculation of TEM

• TEM calculation by difference method

• TEM calculation by ANOVA ( one way or two

way)
 TEM calculation
by difference method
Triceps skinfold measures (mm) on 10 subjects taken twice

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject Subject

9.9 8.6 11.6 10.3 11.7 9.9 10.8 9.4 7.6 8.8

9.3 8.7 10.6 10.5 11.4 9.6 11.0 9.1 7.4 8.2
 Calculation by difference method
 Calculation of differences (d1) between the 1st and 2nd
measurements
 9.9-9.3 =0.6 , 8.6-8.7 = -0.1, 11.6-10.6 =1.0, 10.3-10.5 = -0.2,
11.7-11.4 =0.3, 9.9-9.6 =0.3, 10.8-11.0 = - 0.2, 9.4-9.1 = 0.3,
7.6-7.4 =0.2, 8.8-8.2 =0.6
 The sum of the differences ( Σd1 ) =
( 0.6+(-0.1)+1.0+(-0.2)+0.3+(-0.2)+0.3+0.2+0.6) = 2.8
 The sum of squares of the differences (Σd12 ) = 2.12
So,
 TEM = Σd12 / 2n =  2.12/20 =0.33 mm
 % TEM = TEM / mean  100 = 0.33/9.72 = 3.4 %
 Calculation of TEM and
Intraclass Correlation coefficient (ICC)
by One-way ANOVA
 One-way ANOVA table for the triceps skinfolds
shown in previous table

Source of Degree of Sum of Mean square

variation freedom squares
Between 9 29.812 3.312
subjects
Error 10 1.060 0.1060

total 19 30.872
• Then,
• TEM = error mean square (MSe )
• =  0.1060 =0.33
• %TEM= TEM / mean  100 = 0.33/9.72 = 3.4 %
( same as calculated by difference method)
Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = MSs–MSe
__________________

MSs + (k-1) Mse

Where, MSs = between subjects mean square ,
Here, k =2, so, ICC =(3.312-0.106)/(3.312+0.106) =0.94
TEM and ICC
by two way
ANOVA
 Two-way ANOVA table for the dataset shown in previous
table of skinfold measurements

Source of Degree of Sum of squares Mean square

variation freedom
Between 9 29.812 3.312
subjects
Between 1 0.392 0.392
times
Error 9 0.668 0.0742

total 30.872
 Application of ICC and TEM in
Kinanthropometry
The intraclass correlation coefficient
(ICC) helps
to find out the level of reliability
among the
variables.

TEM and % TEM help to find out the

error among the measurements.
 REFERENCES
• Dahlberg G.(1940) : Standard methods for medical and
biological students.
• Denegar ,C.R. and Bell D.W. (1995): Assessing reliability
and precision measurement : an introduction to intraclass
correlation and standard error of measurement.
• Gulford J.P. (1965): Fundamental statistics in psychology
and education.
• Verducci, E.M. (1980): Measurement conceptin physical
education.
• William J.Vincent (1999): Statistics in Kinesiology , 2nd Ed,
Human Kinetics.
THANK YOU