Cálculo do erro técnico de medição em antropometristas iniciantes para pesquisa com atletas

Introduction: One of the most widely used methods for determining body composition is the measurement of skin folds and body circumferences. However, a major limitation of this method lies in the difficulty of the procedure at the specific points both inter- and intra-measurer. In this sense, the ETM is the statistical calculation that allows to evaluate the accuracy of the anthropometrists and the confidence margin of the measures collected. objective: to describe the ETM of beginner anthropometrists. Materials and methods: Anthropometric measures were performed by five anthropometrists (one experienced and four beginners), in 20 volunteer students, adults of both sexes. In addition to the descriptive analysis, the relative ETM (intra-measurer ETM) and inter-measurer for perimeters and folds were calculated. Results: The inter-measurer ETM analysis indicated that the four anthropometrists presented acceptable error values for beginners in the perimeter of the arm, two for the perimeter of the hip and 1 in the waist and abdominal perimeters. In the measurements of skinfolds, the ETM%, presented very high for all anatomical points measured. Regarding the intra-measurer ETM% in the perimeter analysis, all the anthropometrists presented acceptable ETM in the hip perimeter, three in the arm and the waist, and in the abdominal perimeter, two anthropometrists. In the skinfold measurements, the percentage errors were lower than the values found in the inter-measurer analysis. conclusion: Considering the results obtained in beginner anthropometrists, it is recommended to carry out periodic evaluations of the ETM in order to control and minimize the intra and inter-measurer errors of anthropometrists involved in research.