An excess of body fat is frequently associated with important metabolic alterations and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. The availability of methods to assess body composition is essential to evaluate athletes and the health status of individuals. Among the existent methods, the skinfold measurement is broadly used among the Brazilian population, due to its ease-of-use and relative precision to estimate body fat. However, there are some limitations related to the use of this method as it may result is gross mistakes when estimating body fat. The aim of this review is to describe the studies that validated those equations and the main factors that have influenced their accuracy in the general population. Some aspects related to the application of those equations in the Brazilian population are also discussed.
body composition; skinfold thickness; validity
