Standing or height is an anthropometric datum of great importance; not surprisingly, it represents the standard parameter to which many other measures can be related, such as weight, nutrition and body development. Even if it is a routine anthropometric survey, it is very important to respect the correct detection procedure. In fact, there are three sources of error that can affect the measurement result: the subject, the operator and the tools used.
To measure height with scientific rigor it is necessary to obtain a portable anthropometer or stadiometer (to be carefully fixed to the wall) or, better still, fixed. It is an instrument consisting of a vertical rod graduated in mm and cm from the bottom upwards, equipped with a cursor on which the mobile branch is inserted at right angles. This sort of horizontal bar will be placed in contact with the highest point of the head (vertex), which must be kept in such a position as to direct the eye straight to the horizon. More specifically, anthropometric standards require that:
 | the line of vision is maintained according to the Frankfurt plane (plane passing between the auditory foramen and the inferior margin of the orbit), which in turn must be parallel to the support base. The mobile branch must exert enough pressure on the head to compress the hair, which must be free of braids, rasta, circles and anything else that can alter the height measurement. It is necessary to be barefoot or to wear very thin stockings; heels and ankles should be kept in contact and the tips of the feet slightly apart (at 60 degrees); knees should not be bent. The occiput, the shoulder blades, the buttocks and heels must remain in contact with the stadiometer upright or with the wall (depending on the instrument used). If you use a detachable anthropometer with a weak structure, which easily destabilizes with the support of the body, it is better to ignore this point. The weight must be equally distributed on both feet, the plant of which must rest on a flat and stable surface. The arms hang freely at the sides of the trunk with the palms facing the thighs. If the lumbar lordosis is very accentuated, the hands will be lightly pressed against the abdomen of the individual in order to flatten it. |
If the subject is a child (older than two years):
after checking the position of the body according to the standards just listed, it is invited to relax the shoulders and take a deep breath; at the end of inspiration the rod is slid until it rests on the vertex of the head. At this point, light upward pressure is exerted on the mastoid processes (bony protuberances behind the ears) to keep the column distended (since children tend to bend it); the point reached by the mobile branch corresponds to the height of the child (as long as the subject does not raise his heels under the pressure of the operator).
For the home measurement :
a wall without a skirting board can be used, to which apply a meter well aligned to the floor (the 0 must be at this level, not higher), while the mobile branch can be replaced by a square at right angles. To ensure the accuracy of the result, 2 meters are always required.
Old statimeters fixed on scales are not very precise because of the mobile base on which the subject's feet rest. The most modern stadiometers, used in clinical practice, have a display for digital reading of stature.
 | The stature is the distance between the vertex and the support surface. The Vertex is the highest sagittal point of the head with respect to the horizontally oriented Frankfurt plane. Frequent errors in measuring height or standing height: unsuitable equipment; head or feet not naked; head not properly aligned, arched body, knees bent, feet raised on the tips, shoulders not straight. |
It is advisable to measure the height in the morning, since in the evening there may be a statical drop of 2-3 centimeters (due to dehydration of the intervertebral discs). In any case, especially in assessing the growth of a child, at subsequent checks it is important to measure height always at the same time.
After performing at least two consecutive readings, the data obtained from the arithmetic mean of the measurements is considered valid. If these differ more than 4 mm, the test must be repeated.
