Scientifica
Volume 2015 (2015), Article ID 893489, 9 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/893489

Research Article

Anthropometry of Iranian Guidance School Students with Different Ethnicities: A Comparative Study

Amir Houshang Mehrparvar,¹ Rahmatollah Hafezi,² Seyyed Jalil Mirmohammadi,¹ Mehrdad Mostaghaci,¹ and Mohammad Hossein Davari¹

¹Occupational Medicine Department, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd 8175665563, Iran
²Physical Medicine Department, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Received 1 June 2015; Accepted 30 August 2015

Academic Editor: Malgorzata Wasniewska

Copyright © 2015 Amir Houshang Mehrparvar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract.

Objective. We measured some anthropometric dimensions of Iranian guidance school students selected from different ethnicities. Background. Anthropometric dimensions are used for design of equipment, furniture, and clothing. Furniture with inappropriate design not fulfilling the users’ anthropometric dimensions may have a negative effect on health. Method. A total of 7400 Iranian guidance school students aged 12–14 years entered the study and their static anthropometric dimensions were measured. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and key percentiles were calculated. All dimensions were compared among different ethnicities and different genders. Results. This study showed significant differences in a set of 22 anthropometric dimensions regarding gender, age, and ethnicity. Conclusion. According to the results of this study, difference between genders and among different ethnicities should be taken into account by designers and manufacturers of guidance school furniture. Application. This study has prepared a data bank of anthropometric dimensions of 12–14-year-old students which can be used as basic information to find appropriate dimensions of school furniture.

1. Introduction

In order to properly design different products, it is important to have access to anthropometric dimensions of the potential users [1–7].

Inappropriate dimensions of furniture and other products which do not match the users’ body dimensions may lead to many adverse effects [3, 5, 8–12]. Students are among the populations at risk for musculoskeletal disorders as a result of incorrect posture, frequently caused by inappropriate school furniture [6, 11].

Appropriate design according to the target user groups and identification of the most important body dimensions are key issues in the design process [7]. There is a high prevalence of mismatch between anthropometric data and school furniture which is a factor implicated in causing low back pain [13].

Several researches have worked on anthropometric dimensions of people in different ages in many countries with different races or ethnicities [9, 14–20].

It is documented that such factors as age, gender, race, ethnicity, nutrition, and geographic area will affect anthropometric dimensions [4, 21–24].

Race refers to grouping of people according to biological characteristics, while ethnicity also encompasses additional cultural factors [25]. Some races consist of different ethnicities with probably different cultural, geographical, economic, and nutritional properties which may eventually create different anthropometric dimensions [5, 24, 26–29]. Anthropometric dimensions in a population may change continuously [14]. Smith and Norris have shown a significant change in body size of the UK children during the past thirty years [30].

There are six ethnicities in different parts of Iran (i.e., Arab, Baluch, Fars, Kurd, Lor, and Turk) with different cultural, economic, nutritional, and geographical characteristics. Turk and Kurd population live in a naturally rich area with cold and damp weather in west and northwest of Iran, and Baluch population live in a deprived area with a hot and dry weather in southeast of Iran. It is said that Kurd and Turk population are naturally larger in body size than other ethnicities. The authors have found these differences in their previous study on primary school children in different Iranian ethnicities [24].

Anthropometric studies on Iranian population are few and most of them with small sample size [31, 32]. To the best of our knowledge the only large studies for measurement of anthropometric dimensions of students were our previous studies on Iranian primary school children and university students [24, 33].

1.1. Purpose

Lack of national anthropometric data leads to the design of clothing, shoes, and furniture based upon anthropometric dimensions of other populations, which may not represent the body sizes of the real population. This study was designed to measure some static anthropometric dimensions in Iranian guidance school children considering ethnic differences.

2. Material and Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 7400 guidance school students aged 12–14 years from different ethnicities in Iran. The students were assigned in each age category according to the information of their identity card; for example, a student was considered to be 12 years old when he (she) was born in the year 1377 Anno Persico (between 21.3.1998 and 20.3.1999 AD).

The dimensions which were measured included the following: weight, standing vertical dimensions (height, eye height, shoulder height, and elbow height), sitting vertical dimensions (popliteal height, knee height, sitting height, eye height, and elbow height), horizontal dimensions (arm length, forearm length, forearm-forearm distance, elbow-elbow distance, shoulder width, buttock width, buttock-knee length, and buttock-popliteal length), depths (chest and abdomen), and thicknesses (one-thigh and two-thigh) [24]. Figure 1 shows the measured dimensions.

Figure 1

The subjects stood and sat in standard postures for measurement of standing and sitting dimensions (27, 28). Six groups of technicians who were trained for measurements in a planned course performed the measurements using similar techniques. The groups consisted of an observer and two recorders. The dimensions were repeated for 7% of subjects by two other observers blinded to the previous measurements. Subjects entered the study wearing home clothing without shoes (Figure 2).

Figure 2

2.1. Subjects

The study sample included 7400 subjects (3560 boys and 3840 girls) from six ethnicities (1271 Fars, 1234 Kurd, 1342 Lor, 1192 Baluch, 1200 Turk, and 1191 Arab students). The details of the number of subjects are presented in Table 1. Measurements were made during a 4-month period in 2010.

Table 1: Definition of anthropometric data.

Anthropometric dimensions
Definition

() Weight
Body weight

() Body height
Vertical distance from the floor to the vertex (i.e., the crown of the head)

() Eye height (standing)
Vertical distance from the standing surface to the inner canthus of the eye

() Shoulder height (standing)
Vertical distance from the standing surface to the shoulder

() Elbow height (standing)
Vertical distance from the standing surface to the underside of the elbow

() Arm length
Difference between shoulder height and elbow height

() Forearm length
Distance between acromion and tip of the middle finger

() Forearm-forearm distance
Maximum distance between two forearms

() Elbow-elbow distance
Distance between two acromions in standard sitting position

() Shoulder width
Maximum shoulder width in standing position

() Buttock width
Maximum buttock width in sitting position

() One-thigh thickness
Maximum thickness of the thigh

() Two-thigh thickness
Maximum two-thigh thickness when right thigh rests over left thigh

(4) Popliteal height (sitting)
Vertical distance from the floor to the popliteal angle at the underside of the knee where the tendon of the biceps femoris muscle is inserted into the lower leg

() Knee height (sitting)
Vertical distance from the floor to the upper surface of the knee in sitting position

() Sitting height
Vertical distance from the sitting surface to the vertex

() Eye height (sitting)
Vertical distance from the sitting surface to the inner canthus of the eye

() Elbow height (sitting)
Vertical distance from the seat surface to the underside of the elbow

() Abdominal depth
Maximum horizontal distance from the vertical reference surface to abdominal front in sitting position

() Chest depth
Maximum horizontal distance from the vertical reference plane to the front of the chest in men or breast in women

() Buttock-knee length
Horizontal distance from the back of the uncompressed buttocks to the front of the kneecap

() Buttock-popliteal length
Horizontal distance from the back uncompressed buttocks to the popliteal angle, at the back of the knee, where the back of the lower legs meets the underside of the thigh

We obtained an informed written consent from parents and oral consent from students after explanation of the procedure.

2.2. Analysis

Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and 5, 50, and 95 percentiles) were measured for each dimension regarding gender, age, and ethnicity. The dimensions were compared between two genders and among six ethnicities in each age group. Student’s -test and one-way ANOVA were used for the comparison of means between two genders and among six ethnicities, respectively.

3. Results

In this study, 7400 subjects (3560 boys and 3840 girls) aged 12 to 14 years in six ethnicities were assessed. Table 2 shows means of 22 anthropometric dimensions of guidance school children in 6 different Iranian ethnicities.

Table 2: Sample size of the subjects in different ethnicities and age groups.

Age (year)
Total

Ethnicity
12
13
14

Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Total

Fars
225
166
223
201
230
246
708
613
1301

Kurd
152
176
227
204
199
226
578
606
1184

Lor
227
268
227
236
184
200
638
704
1342

Baluch
126
233
150
252
223
208
499
737
1192

Turk
208
186
203
211
184
208
595
605
1200

Arab
206
132
237
212
129
275
572
619
1191

Total
1144
1161
1277
1316
1149
1363
3560
3840
7400

Table 3 shows key percentiles (i.e., 5, 50, and 95) for 6 most important anthropometric dimensions (i.e., weight, body height, standing eye height, standing shoulder height, standing elbow height, and buttock-popliteal length) in different ethnicities.

Table 3: Mean anthropometric dimensions in Iranian ethnicities.

Dimensions
Age
Ethnicity

Fars
Kurd
Lor
Baluch
Turk
Arab

Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls

Weight (kg)
12
41.82
43.10
37.49
42.51
39.08
41.62
32.13
37.83
44.26
42.12
40.67
44.89

13
47.65
48.11
43.79
48.18
44.37
47.61
37.39
40.74
49.36
46.99
47.45
48.58

14
54.66
52.22
49.74
50.65
52.58
51.54
41.50
44.05
57.80
49.98
51.81
52.13

Body height (mm)
12
1490.86
1497.77
1456.08
1499.94
1458.01
1490.85
1425.42
1484.14
1512.40
1501.73
1492.57
1507.19

13
1559.82
1534.32
1524.44
1543.77
1536.12
1541.77
1505.20
1516.03
1591.87
1536.91
1563.90
1537.40

14
1644.30
1570.52
1596.20
1572.03
1610.86
1572.75
1546.52
1540.60
1659.72
1573.89
1608.75
1559.33

Standing eye height (mm)
12
1375.04
1376.95
1335.42
1380.85
1342.33
1372.79
1315.47
1372.70
1393.55
1382.12
1359.73
1383.48

13
1444.75
1415.34
1402.11
1422.23
1422.51
1418.64
1392.93
1402.20
1471.36
1416.91
1435.21
1417.21

14
1533.58
1453.80
1472.63
1449.84
1499.89
1452.45
1435.80
1431.15
1543.58
1451.46
1490.81
1435.51

Standing shoulder height (mm)
12
1226.35
1242.77
1184.40
1230.11
1198.76
1224.29
1169.08
1217.87
1244.18
1222.74
1216.82
1246.66

13
1286.54
1276.84
1249.53
1271.05
1267.62
1272.54
1241.46
1243.80
1311.57
1242.91
1280.25
1272.66

14
1361.47
1310.18
1313.06
1293.96
1338.04
1300.85
1275.40
1269.59
1376.11
1277.86
1328.06
1292.00

Standing elbow height (mm)
12
911.77
922.54
881.08
921.85
913.61
903.89
880.41
947.74
936.98
918.15
932.59
925.42

13
951.90
946.31
929.16
949.55
961.54
934.32
929.19
973.69
987.82
934.33
982.45
955.97

14
1016.00
968.78
975.64
958.71
1010.05
957.90
961.47
986.44
1035.43
962.66
1005.96
970.58

Chest depth (mm)
12
175.79
182.57
174.40
197.53
163.52
178.91
161.12
175.33
186.11
200.01
173.30
201.15

13
185.68
197.94
183.12
212.41
172.73
192.97
172.33
188.36
193.55
214.96
187.98
208.59

14
191.57
206.81
192.82
220.14
184.07
197.00
174.03
197.62
203.95
224.55
197.87
215.22

Abdominal depth (mm)
12
170.65
164.63
163.26
175.73
153.65
178.87
144.39
157.27
165.12
164.70
162.71
171.10

13
178.15
169.24
173.63
185.73
159.82
188.78
150.42
158.81
169.62
169.97
173.89
175.76

14
184.40
170.61
179.17
186.06
170.43
189.80
155.45
161.37
179.63
172.75
172.24
175.67

Arm length (mm)
12
298.61
316.74
304.09
313.38
294.05
307.95
298.36
311.76
312.76
306.25
294.38
318.20

13
313.87
325.83
322.29
324.85
312.64
316.47
316.03
318.21
330.14
314.11
317.24
324.43

14
330.11
333.23
339.14
329.54
329.07
322.39
327.34
326.64
348.40
319.85
323.58
329.68

Forearm length (mm)
12
387.78
384.21
389.38
400.02
380.88
394.36
375.95
385.21
405.22
396.41
388.52
402.93

13
413.76
397.42
410.39
409.96
404.97
409.35
406.22
391.71
428.85
409.48
417.16
413.42

14
437.87
402.45
432.13
417.43
426.03
412.39
419.62
405.94
448.92
415.45
426.31
416.62

Forearm-forearm distance (mm)
12
398.77
376.28
357.38
348.48
348.94
325.97
320.41
339.58
395.67
402.30
336.00
372.69

13
418.32
388.50
376.15
359.24
356.16
343.11
337.99
343.08
405.85
418.39
357.01
389.10

14
439.14
396.52
396.49
363.65
381.08
335.16
347.75
356.49
436.97
420.52
364.43
398.10

Elbow-elbow distance (mm)
12
369.51
315.78
370.35
361.05
330.13
349.27
315.69
336.93
359.99
358.58
298.33
373.81

13
385.50
328.14
392.87
373.74
343.52
370.31
330.41
341.54
372.11
373.66
323.21
388.05

14
403.61
334.42
413.43
380.86
363.91
385.85
342.07
357.91
395.26
377.19
348.88
395.76

Shoulder width (mm)
12
349.75
358.21
335.59
338.26
321.23
335.04
321.56
339.74
345.89
318.35
328.16
351.73

13
374.75
371.54
351.41
352.25
338.28
353.13
337.21
348.54
364.68
329.78
353.24
362.76

14
391.89
381.17
367.98
357.77
363.04
355.35
350.30
362.66
387.34
338.25
360.29
373.77

Buttock width (mm)
12
271.13
287.44
288.48
306.60
272.24
281.33
257.47
270.18
293.11
311.90
270.42
303.22

13
285.79
298.86
302.34
326.50
286.74
299.75
274.60
279.53
307.81
327.75
291.82
320.23

14
298.46
311.58
317.28
331.76
310.21
300.17
283.53
289.00
328.26
340.32
293.12
331.32

One-thigh thickness (mm)
12
112.87
98.82
105.74
118.14
99.86
78.13
93.63
116.91
108.76
111.33
97.82
112.74

13
121.78
105.33
111.60
117.27
107.86
90.30
94.31
113.33
115.70
117.60
107.52
122.76

14
126.73
107.85
117.96
127.38
120.54
84.99
100.47
117.38
124.25
122.42
110.52
123.89

Two-thigh thickness (mm)
12
235.50
205.66
197.12
225.26
187.18
188.58
181.69
198.63
220.99
199.89
216.83
195.36

13
237.34
215.24
207.51
240.77
196.96
204.00
181.67
196.53
226.23
209.41
240.14
203.31

14
246.63
221.75
218.27
243.07
216.95
202.79
187.47
202.75
245.96
216.77
234.86
208.19

Popliteal height (mm)
12
352.09
356.37
372.23
361.59
375.24
355.82
382.83
364.77
381.76
370.56
372.96
370.15

13
362.44
361.22
391.80
365.01
400.04
368.60
399.86
367.46
400.74
373.84
387.65
381.98

14
380.76
366.19
410.10
374.44
415.21
368.53
410.14
380.50
413.07
377.69
403.25
384.58

Knee height (mm)
12
451.95
459.00
461.38
454.28
452.37
441.41
471.86
467.86
481.35
452.87
479.10
437.53

13
471.68
467.32
486.19
458.46
480.35
458.55
480.65
473.10
502.57
458.00
504.30
449.05

14
493.72
475.90
509.29
468.12
503.09
466.16
493.60
483.86
525.35
467.28
513.52
457.85

Buttock-popliteal length (mm)
12
364.23
408.00
406.28
416.28
370.61
398.52
364.81
389.31
387.45
396.56
399.81
405.98

13
382.48
414.51
427.20
428.27
392.33
414.55
388.41
404.90
406.16
408.33
424.70
418.36

14
407.76
425.40
446.78
437.97
415.54
422.28
403.49
409.54
426.31
421.20
431.78
429.32

Buttock-knee length (mm)
12
486.69
505.09
482.40
508.31
466.82
508.94
452.87
472.63
501.40
489.27
501.77
506.70

13
508.08
518.57
506.97
520.51
493.52
527.25
478.76
490.34
527.35
503.16
532.63
523.74

14
533.86
533.07
529.34
531.68
523.58
535.22
493.40
500.15
552.88
516.65
537.82
531.57

Sitting height (mm)
12
764.40
785.48
769.60
777.89
771.63
766.08
711.96
757.13
769.91
787.48
750.34
797.83

13
801.90
807.71
799.11
812.21
799.69
791.35
751.96
778.63
815.73
809.08
779.43
819.52

14
846.56
833.61
828.51
824.04
838.42
806.45
780.54
793.99
843.50
833.32
807.22
829.08

Sitting eye height (mm)
12
649.02
666.29
652.16
665.79
656.78
654.02
611.73
643.48
650.04
674.43
631.37
673.75

13
690.35
691.79
679.58
697.27
686.91
671.35
649.86
666.78
697.43
695.54
657.72
698.72

14
738.26
716.01
709.34
705.27
725.32
678.15
674.86
681.71
726.78
719.01
688.72
708.42

Sitting elbow height (mm)
12
173.00
199.24
195.98
189.32
203.30
174.70
179.40
217.07
201.40
205.59
180.52
204.00

13
186.09
208.08
204.85
196.01
212.59
182.92
190.27
230.83
232.80
214.28
180.71
212.76

14
200.36
222.90
211.33
200.24
221.68
185.70
205.21
238.60
231.57
231.65
186.74
220.41

Bold and italic prints show the highest and lowest values, respectively, in each age group and gender.

There was a significant difference between males and females in most dimensions. Table 4 shows the key percentiles of six more important anthropometric dimensions and Table 5 shows the comparison of dimensions regarding gender.

Table 4: Key percentiles of six anthropometric dimensions.

Dimension
Ethnicity
Sex
Age

12
13
14

Percentile
Percentile
Percentile

5
50
95
5
50
95
5
50
95

Weight (Kg)
Fars
Boys
28.16
39.10
61.94
31.00
45.50
68.90
36.90
52.85
80.63

Girls
27.71
42.55
63.91
32.11
46.70
69.80
38.43
50.40
71.00

Lor
Boys
28.00
37.00
56.20
30.00
42.00
65.60
35.00
49.50
77.75

Girls
28.00
41.00
59.55
31.85
46.00
67.15
37.05
50.00
68.90

Kurd
Boys
28.19
35.65
54.51
30.74
41.80
64.05
34.20
48.10
73.10

Girls
28.58
41.40
62.36
33.00
47.05
68.80
38.73
49.00
67.29

Turk
Boys
31.09
41.80
66.05
34.42
47.70
70.00
41.17
55.65
85.45

Girls
29.63
40.75
58.93
32.00
46.40
65.96
36.10
48.40
68.77

Baluch
Boys
25.00
31.00
44.30
27.05
36.00
53.00
28.04
40.00
60.80

Girls
26.70
36.0
52.00
28.00
40.00
56.00
31.45
43.00
59.00

Arab
Boys
28.00
38.75
58.00
32.45
46.00
68.00
35.00
51.00
76.00

Girls
29.79
43.50
63.74
33.63
46.85
75.17
39.36
50.80
69.86

Body height (mm)
Fars
Boys
1370.00
1490.00
1620.00
1410.00
1560.00
1710.00
1495.50
1645.00
1784.50

Girls
1380.25
1510.00
1595.00
1430.00
1540.00
1634.50
1481.75
1570.00
1655.00

Lor
Boys
1360.00
1460.00
1560.00
1400.00
1540.00
1680.00
1462.50
1600.00
1750.00

Girls
1360.00
1495.00
1610.00
1420.00
1550.00
1641.50
1480.00
1570.00
1679.50

Kurd
Boys
1360.00
1445.00
1606.75
1395.00
1525.00
1683.00
1445.00
1595.00
1740.00

Girls
1390.00
1500.00
1620.75
1437.50
1540.00
1655.00
1486.75
1570.00
1655.00

Turk
Boys
1382.25
1510.00
1662.75
1456.00
1590.00
1734.00
1530.00
1665.00
1780.00

Girls
1370.00
1505.00
1613.25
1423.00
1540.00
1640.00
1482.25
1575.00
1672.75

Baluch
Boys
1300.00
1420.00
1569.50
1360.00
1502.50
1687.25
1390.00
1550.00
1700.00

Girls
1367.00
1490.00
1610.00
1400.00
1520.00
1640.00
1442.25
1550.00
1630.00

Arab
Boys
1370.00
1490.00
1636.50
1420.00
1560.00
1715.00
1442.50
1620.00
1740.00

Girls
1374.75
1510.00
1601.75
1425.00
1540.00
1633.50
1450.00
1560.00
1660.00

Standing eye height (mm)
Fars
Boys
1255.00
1370.00
1498.50
1295.00
1450.00
1600.00
1390.00
1530.00
1684.50

Girls
1248.50
1385.00
1475.00
1310.00
1420.00
1505.00
1360.00
1450.00
1550.00

Lor
Boys
1240.00
1340.00
1450.00
1280.00
1430.00
1570.00
1352.50
1495.00
1640.00

Girls
1240.00
1370.00
1490.00
1300.00
1420.00
1521.50
1370.5
1450.00
1560.00

Kurd
Boys
1240.00
1330.00
1473.50
1272.00
1400.00
1552.00
1335.00
1475.00
1615.00

Girls
1264.25
1375.00
1500.00
1316.25
1420.00
1542.50
1353.50
1450.00
1540.00

Turk
Boys
1255.00
1390.00
1538.25
1330.00
1480.00
1623.00
1411.25
1550.00
1673.75

Girls
1253.50
1390.00
1485.00
1310.00
1425.00
1520.00
1352.25
1450.00
1555.00

Baluch
Boys
1186.75
1310.00
1466.00
1245.50
1382.50
1574.50
1270.00
1440.00
1600.00

Girls
1250.00
1370.00
1513.00
1266.50
1405.00
1540.00
1332.25
1437.50
1525.50

Arab
Boys
1230.00
1350.00
1530.00
1289.00
1430.00
1600.00
1305.00
1505.00
1635.00

Girls
1240.00
1390.00
1481.75
1300.00
1420.00
1520.00
1325.00
1435.00
1535.00

Standing shoulder height (mm)
Fars
Boys
1110.00
1220.00
1345.00
1152.00
1290.00
1414.00
1235.50
1360.00
1480.00

Girls
1125.00
1250.00
1340.00
1170.50
1285.00
1365.00
1231.75
1310.00
1395.00

Lor
Boys
1104.00
1200.00
1296.00
1120.00
1270.00
1400.00
1200.00
1340.00
1467.50

Girls
1094.50
1230.00
1330.00
1170.00
1280.00
1370.00
1220.00
1300.00
1399.50

Kurd
Boys
1095.00
1175.00
1310.50
1132.00
1250.00
1394.00
1180.00
1310.00
1455.00

Girls
1119.25
1230.00
1340.75
1171.25
1260.00
1377.50
1213.50
1295.00
1383.25

Turk
Boys
1135.00
1245.00
1380.50
1190.00
1310.00
1440.00
1240.00
1380.00
1495.00

Girls
1106.75
1222.50
1323.25
1140.00
1240.00
1340.00
1190.00
1275.00
1380.00

Baluch
Boys
1050.00
1170.00
1306.50
1105.50
1240.00
1410.00
1120.00
1290.00
1428.00

Girls
1110.00
1220.00
1336.50
1126.50
1250.00
1353.50
1184.50
1270.00
1350.00

Arab
Boys
1110.00
1210.00
1340.00
1150.00
1280.00
1420.00
1180.00
1340.00
1440.00

Girls
1123.00
1250.00
1333.50
1175.00
1272.50
1360.00
1199.00
1300.00
1380.00

Standing elbow height (mm)
Fars
Boys
820.00
910.00
1000.00
840.00
950.00
1040.00
911.00
1020.00
1110.00

Girls
836.50
925.00
1005.00
870.25
950.00
1020.00
900.00
970.00
1035.00

Lor
Boys
830.00
910.00
1000.00
860.00
960.00
1080.00
910.00
1010.00
1100.00

Girls
804.50
900.00
990.00
840.00
940.00
1020.00
900.00
950.00
1030.00

Kurd
Boys
808.25
875.00
973.50
840.00
925.00
1025.00
880.00
980.00
1070.00

Girls
840.00
920.00
1006.00
880.00
945.00
1034.00
900.00
955.00
1020.00

Turk
Boys
840.00
935.00
1040.00
901.00
990.00
1088.00
877.50
1020.00
1100.00

Girls
830.00
920.00
1000.00
843.00
940.00
1012.00
902.25
960.00
1040.00

Baluch
Boys
783.50
880.00
976.50
832.75
930.00
1054.50
840.00
970.00
1088.0

Girls
867.00
950.00
1050.00
896.50
980.00
1070.00
904.50
990.00
1080.00

Arab
Boys
820.00
925.00
1056.50
880.00
980.00
1090.00
920.00
1040.00
1130.00

Girls
780.00
940.00
1000.00
890.00
955.00
1031.75
900.00
970.00
1050.00

Buttock-popliteal length (mm)
Fars
Boys
320.00
362.00
418.00
330.20
380.00
434.00
350.55
408.00
464.90

Girls
355.40
411.00
458.30
365.40
415.00
465.00
379.35
424.00
471.00

Lor
Boys
330.00
370.00
420.00
344.00
390.00
450.00
370.00
410.00
477.50

Girls
443.00
512.50
568.55
358.80
412.00
476.60
375.00
420.00
472.85

Kurd
Boys
369.00
404.50
449.70
373.80
428.00
480.60
396.00
446.00
499.00

Girls
357.80
418.50
474.90
369.75
427.50
484.00
380.00
438.00
488.00

Turk
Boys
342.00
387.00
441.20
350.20
408.00
450.00
383.00
425.50
473.25

Girls
359.00
394.50
432.00
369.10
409.50
452.00
386.00
422.00
458.00

Baluch
Boys
319.70
363.50
421.25
327.75
387.00
448.45
348.00
402.50
473.00

Girls
326.20
392.00
437.90
343.90
407.00
459.00
353.00
410.00
460.55

Arab
Boys
326.75
400.00
470.00
369.50
420.00
490.00
362.50
430.00
490.00

Girls
338.38
406.00
456.70
363.24
418.55
468.36
387.26
428.50
476.84

Table 5: Comparison of anthropometric dimensions between two genders.

Dimensions
Age (year)

12
13
14

Boys
Girls

Boys
Girls

Boys
Girls

Weight (kg)
39.87
41.66
<0.001
45.39
46.52
0.012
51.10
50.25
0.072

Body height (mm)
1476.74
1495.47
<0.001
1548.67
1534.53
<0.001
1610.12
1564.79
<0.001

Standing eye height (mm)
1357.33
1377.30
<0.001
1429.47
1415.04
<0.001
1595.45
1445.44
<0.001

Standing shoulder height (mm)
1210.52
1228.82
<0.001
1274.02
1262.73
<0.001
1331.22
1291.32
<0.001

Standing elbow height (mm)
912.94
922.81
<0.001
958.31
949.54
<0.001
999.61
967.63
<0.001

Chest depth (mm)
172.98
187.45
<0.001
183.02
201.90
<0.001
188.74
210.58
<0.001

Abdominal depth (mm)
160.97
168.87
<0.001
168.62
174.09
<0.001
173.51
175.92
0.058

Arm length (mm)
300.22
311.69
<0.001
318.65
320.43
0.071
333.17
327.26
<0.001

Forearm length (mm)
388.62
393.23
<0.001
413.74
404.92
<0.001
431.91
411.77
<0.001

Forearm-forearm distance (mm)
362.91
356.85
0.003
376.65
372.02
0.017
395.98
379.94
<0.001

Elbow-elbow distance (mm)
341.33
348.07
<0.001
358.98
362.27
0.090
375.04
369.22
0.004

Shoulder width (mm)
334.52
339.01
0.001
353.95
352.74
0.364
370.78
362.64
<0.001

Buttock width (mm)
276.07
291.18
<0.001
292.26
307.68
<0.001
304.88
318.17
<0.001

One-thigh thickness (mm)
103.77
105.71
0.064
110.57
113.89
0.001
116.91
116.28
0.521

Two-thigh thickness (mm)
208.88
201.19
<0.001
216.91
210.75
<0.001
224.05
216.12
<0.001

Popliteal height (mm)
371.82
362.56
<0.001
389.71
369.69
<0.001
404.71
375.55
<0.001

Knee height (mm)
465.70
452.58
<0.001
487.95
461.04
<0.001
505.18
467.97
<0.001

Buttock-popliteal length (mm)
381.77
401.25
<0.001
404.65
414.44
<0.001
420.62
424.76
0.002

Buttock-knee length (mm)
483.83
497.61
<0.001
509.46
513.36
0.017
527.07
525.32
0.242

Sitting height (mm)
759.22
775.88
<0.001
793.01
802.02
<0.001
824.39
821.03
0.087

Sitting eye height (mm)
643.93
660.97
<0.001
677.98
685.96
<0.001
711.48
702.42
<0.001

Sitting elbow height (mm)
189.27
197.21
<0.001
201.15
207.82
<0.001
210.07
216.91
<0.001

There was a significant difference between ethnicities in all anthropometric dimensions. values for difference among ethnicities were less than 0.001 for all dimensions except for height in 12-year-old girls (), sitting height in 12-year-old girls (), and sitting eye height in 13-year-old girls ().

4. Discussion

Today, it is important to measure anthropometric dimensions as a key step for design process. Such variables as age, gender, and ethnicity affect these dimensions, so it is critical to consider these variables for preparation of anthropometric databases.

In this study we measured the anthropometric dimensions of students aged 12 to 14 years from different ethnicities in Iran. The results showed a significant difference between two genders in all age groups and among all ethnicities for most of the dimensions.

In this study, 12- and 13-year-old girls’ weight was significantly more than boys which was opposite in 14-year-old subjects. In 12-year-old subjects, girls had larger heights and upper extremity lengths, although boys showed larger lower extremity heights and lengths. In 13- and 14-year-old subjects, most anthropometric dimensions were significantly larger in boys except for depths and dimensions related to buttocks which is explainable by the size of breasts and buttocks in girls due to puberty.

In this study, Turk boys had the largest dimensions in most of the measured dimensions except for abdominal depth, upper extremity distances and widths, lower extremity, and sitting heights which were larger in Fars ethnicity, although in some of them such as forearm-forearm distance the difference was negligible. Most dimensions were smaller in Baluch boys than other ethnicities except for most upper extremity dimensions and some lower extremity heights.

In about one-third of dimensions Arab girls had the largest measures and in other dimensions Kurds and Turks showed larger dimensions.

There is a considerable difference among different Iranian ethnicities regarding genetic characteristics, climate, geographical area, and socioeconomic characteristics which may affect anthropometric dimensions. For example, Turks and Kurds live in a naturally rich area, but Baluchis live in a province which is naturally deprived, so some differences are probably due to these issues.

There are some studies in different populations for measurement of anthropometric dimensions. Mokdad and Al-Ansari measured 44 anthropometric dimensions of Bahraini children aged 6–12 years. They found significant difference between two genders in many dimensions [34]. A total of 50 anthropometric dimensions were measured among Mexican children and a significant difference among different populations was found [16].

The difference between races or ethnicities regarding anthropometric dimensions has also been identified in some studies. Rosnah et al. found a significant difference between Malays and non-Malays which is in agreement with the results of current study [35]. Jahanshahi et al. found that ethnicity affects facial anthropometric dimensions in an Iranian population [27]. Lin et al. also found a significant difference among four East Asian populations [5].

Although climatic, nutritional, and economic factors are significantly different in different populations and countries, one of the important factors contributing to anthropometric differences is race or ethnicity.

Anthropometric dimensions of the study children were different from other populations. Anthropometric dimensions of Greek, American, and Mexican children were more than Iranian children [16, 17, 19] and these dimensions in Vietnamese children were less than Iranian children [9].

The anthropometric dimensions we measured in this study can be used to design school furniture matched to our population. It is recommended that the number of anthropometric dimensions be increased to create databases used to design clothing, shoes, and other products. It is also recommended that these measurements be repeated to seek for temporal trends.

This study had some limitations. We tried to select real native students in each ethnicity, but some hybrid students may have entered the study and we might not have detected these subjects.

5. Conclusions

In this study we found significantly different anthropometric dimensions in different Iranian ethnicities. This makes it necessary to pay attention to these differences when school furniture is designed. The results of this study showed that students need furniture specifically designed and manufactured considering their ethnicity, gender, and age. It is obvious that designing school furniture separately for each ethnicity is very difficult, so a practical approach is to design adjustable furniture using the anthropometric dimension measured in this study.

Key Points

(i)Anthropometric dimensions of the users should be put in mind when determining the dimensions of school furniture.(ii)This study showed a significant gender difference in all anthropometric dimensions.(iii)This study showed a significant difference among different ethnicities in most anthropometric dimensions.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to all students who participated in this study and their parents.

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