The purpose of this project is to develop a consensus among experts from various disciplines on selection of anthropometric dimensions for use in various research and clinical settings and in healthy and unhealthy populations. A conference on standardization of anthropometry will finalize the selection process and presentations will be made on the use of anthropometry to estimate body composition in terms of percent body fat, fat distribution and lean body mass, minimal weight and frame size. Applications of the standardized set of dimensions will be made to various populations including acutely ill, obese, diabetic, infants and children, and subjects with coronary heart disease. Following the conference, a major aim of the project will be to publish a reference manual of measurement procedures, including accurate terminology and measurement protocol for each anthropometric dimension. The selection of anthropometric sites will be based on a careful analysis of the literature related to reliability, objectivity and validity. Such a reference manual is needed to improve the quality of research, the generalizability of research findings and to increase the clinical utility of anthropometry. Presently, experts in medicine, nutrition, physical anthropology, human biology, sports medicine and physical education all use anthropometry a for various purposes but variation in the measurement procedures and selection of sites are major limitations in interpreting scientific studies in the various disciplines and in applying the results to clinical situations. With the publication of a set of standardized procedures and its use by the scientific community, the accuracy and applicability of future research using anthropometry will be greatly enhanced.