How to measure standing height correctly

Measuring stature seems easy, but needs to be done correctly to limit measurement errors. Even for trained assessors, the Technical Error of Measurement for standing height (stature) is around 3.8mm (Ulijaszek & Kerr, 1999). Follow the guidelines below to limit the error as much as possible:

Before the test:

• Always use the same medically graded and correctly calibrated equipment. Recalibrate equipment after moving.
• To limit inter-rater variability, preferably appoint only one assessor to carry out all the tests, or use a fully automated device such as the Seca Scale-up Line.
• To limit the effect of daily variation in stature (±1.1%), always plan the assessments on the same moment, before intense physical activity, and preferably in the morning.
• Ask the participants to take off shoes and socks, and to undo any hairstyles that could affect the measurement such as buns or ponytails.

The correct posture:

Ask the participant to take place at the stadiometer and take on the correct posture:

• The athlete should stand in the middle of the stadiometer with feet together and weight evenly distributed between the left and right foot, and between the heels and front of the feet.
• Instruct the athlete to stand straight, make him/herself tall (while keeping heels on the ground), look straight ahead, and take a deep breath.
• Check if the head is in the Frankfort Horizontal Plane (see figure 1), and correct if necessary.
• If you use a manual stadiometer: heels, buttocks, upper back, and back of the head should touch the vertical bar of the stadiometer.

The measurement:

Manual stadiometer:

• Carry out the measurement while the athlete takes a deep breath and holds it for a few seconds.
• The assessor lowers the headpiece/slider and presses down on the vertex, compressing the hair as much as possible. While pressing down on the slider, make sure the indicator stays on a horizontal line with the slider. Pressing down on the indicator part might bend the slider and result in a biased measurement.
• Read the measurement to the nearest millimetre (0.1 cm) while your eyes are level with the headpiece. Reading the measurement from an angle can introduce a parallax error.

Automated measurement:

• If the device is connected to the Hylyght Growth Tracker, first identify the athlete through the personal QR-code.
• Let the athlete step on the device, and follow the instructions of the voice guidance.
• Make sure the automated measurement takes place while the athlete takes a deep breath and holds it for a few seconds while standing in the right posture
• To avoid interference, make sure to keep the area around the device free of other athletes or tall objects.
• Pay attention that the result is transferred before you let the athlete step off from the device.
• In case the measurement failed, ask the athlete to step off, and start over.
• Optional: deactivate the audio output if other people are in the room.

References

Ulijaszek, S. J., & Kerr, D. A. (1999). Anthropometric measurement error and the assessment of nutritional status. British Journal of Nutrition, 82(3), 165-177

Seca Scale-up Line

About the Author

Dr. Pieter Vansteenkiste is a sports scientist and postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, specializing in physical education, motor control, and performance data. With a PhD focused on visual information in movement steering, he has authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers on sports performance, motor development, analytical methods and talent identification.

Dr. Vansteenkiste’s work bridges academic research and practical sports science, supporting innovative projects like SportKompas and SPOKI. Discover his publications and research via Ghent University and connect on LinkedIn.

⤶ Back to the Growth Knowledge Base