To determine the influence of age, disease and other factors on anthropometric indices in elderly subjects aged 70 years and above, body mass index (BMI), arm muscle circumference (AMC), corrected arm muscle area (CAMA), fat-free mass (FFM) and total body fat (TBF) were determined in a random sample of 990 Chinese men and 1,021 women aged 70 years and over stratified by age and sex. Old age, presence of disease, poor self-perceived health, poor functional ability, lower level of physical activity, lack of dentures, depression and cognitive impairment were all factors associated with lower anthropometric values. Haemoglobin, total cholesterol and walking speed were also associated factors, although the latter two factors became insignificant after adjusting for age. When subjects with a history of disease or cognitive impairment were excluded, an age-related decline in BMI, AMC, CAMA and TBF was still observed in men although FFM remained unchanged. However, in women, only TBF showed an age-related decline. It is concluded that in the old-old population, both age and disease affect anthropometric indices, the change being more marked in men.