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httphfssagepubcomcontentearly201409050018720814549579The online version of this article can be found at

DOI 1011770018720814549579

September 2014 published online 5Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

and Mohammad Hossein DavariAmir Houshang Mehrparvar Seyyed Jalil Mirmohammadi Rahmatollah Hafezi Mehrdad Mostaghaci

Considering Ethnic DifferencesStatic Anthropometric Dimensions in a Population of Iranian High School Students

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What is This

- Sep 5 2014OnlineFirst Version of Record gtgt by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

Background Anthropometric dimensions of the end users should be measured in order to create a basis for manufacturing of different products This study was designed to measure some static anthro-pometric dimensions in Iranian high school students considering ethnic differences

Method Nineteen static anthropometric dimen-sions of high school students were measured and com-pared among different Iranian ethnicities (Fars Turk Kurd Lor Baluch and Arab) and different genders

Results In this study 9476 subjects (4703 boys and 4773 girls) ages 15 to 18 years in six ethnicities were assessed The difference among ethnicities was statistically significant for all dimensions (p values lt 001 for each dimension)

Conclusion This study showed statistically sig-nificant differences in 19 static anthropometric dimen-sions among high school students regarding gender age and ethnicity

Keywords anthropometry anthropometric dimen-sions ethnicity high school

IntroductIonAnthropometric dimensions of the end users

should be measured to create a database for manufacturing of different products If furniture or other products are manufactured without considering dimensions mismatch will ensue which can lead to many adverse outcomes (Cas-tellucci Arezes amp Viviani 2010 Diep 2003 Kayis amp Oumlzok 1991 Lin Wang amp Wang 2004)

Students spend a long time sitting on school furniture during their educational ages (Dianat Karimi Asl Hashemi amp Bahrampour 2013 Milanese amp Grimmer 2004 Oyewole Haight amp Freivalds 2010) so they may be vulnerable to some posture-related syndromes especially if the school furniture is not appropriate for their body dimensions (Milanese amp Grimmer 2004) Among various musculoskeletal disorders low-back pain is highly prevalent in students (Bur-ton Clarke McClune amp Tillotson 1996 Grimes amp Legg 2004 Yao Mai Luo Ai amp Chen 2011)

Appropriate school furniture should be mat-ched with anthropometric characteristics of the target users (Lee amp Shin 2004 Parcells Stom-mel amp Hubbard 1999) Variation in anthropo-metric dimensions between two genders and among different races or ethnicities will make this issue problematic It is difficult to produce something suitable for all persons so differences in anthropometric dimensions among people with different genders races ethnicities and cli-mates should be sought (Chuan Hartono amp Kumar 2010)

549579 HFSXXX1011770018720814549579Human FactorsAnthropometric Dimensions of Iranian Students

Address correspondence to Mehrdad Mostaghaci Occup-ational Medicine Clinic Shahid Rahnamoun Hospital Farrokhi Ave Yazd Iran e-mail mehrdadmostaghacigmailcom

Static Anthropometric Dimensions in a Population of Iranian High School Students Considering Ethnic Differences

Amir Houshang Mehrparvar Seyyed Jalil Mirmohammadi Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences Yazd Iran Rahmatollah Hafezi Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran Mehrdad Mostaghaci and Mohammad Hossein Davari Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences Yazd Iran

HUMAN FACTORSVol XX No X Month XXXX pp 1 ndash14DOI 1011770018720814549579Copyright copy 2014 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

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2 Month XXXX - Human Factors

Several studies have been performed in differ-ent populations all over the world for measuring anthropometric dimensions for example among Norwegian workers (Bolstad Benum amp Rokne 2001) Iranian children (Mirmohammadi et al 2013) Mexican high school students (Prado-Leoacuten Avila-Chaurand amp Gonzaacutelez-Muntildeoz 2001) a population of American children (Sny-der 1977) a population of Iranian university stu-dents (Mououdi amp Choobineh 1997) and 978 Iranian high school students (Dianat et al 2013) It has been proven that race ethnicity age gen-der geographic location and nutrition have a significant effect on anthropometric dimensions (Hamill et al 1979 Hisham Mamat amp Ibrahim 2012 Jahanshahi Golalipour amp Heidari 2008 Jeong amp Park 1990 Mirmohammadi et al 2013 Mirmohammadi Mehrparvar Jafari amp Mostaghaci 2011 Shrestha et al 2009 Sirajud-din Duggirala amp Crawford 1994 Tunay amp Melemez 2008) It is also believed that anthro-pometric dimensions may change after a period of time (Bolstad et al 2001) One study showed this temporal change among UK children (Case-Smith amp OrsquoBrien 2013)

In Iran there are six main ethnicities living in specific areas or provinces These ethnicities are Fars Baluch Kurd Lor Arab and Turk with different geographical cultural economic and nutritional characteristics For example Bal-uches live in a deprived area in southeast Iran with a dry and hot climate but Turks and Kurds live in a naturally rich area in west and north-west Iran with a cold and damp climate

We could find few studies that have measured anthropometric dimensions in Iranian popula-tion one in 6- to 11-year-old children with a lim-ited sample size (Mououdi amp Choobineh 1997) another in 7- to 11-year-old children (Mirmo-hammadi et al 2013) another in Iranian high school students (Dianat et al 2013) and a study on university students (Mirmohammadi et al 2011) We could not find a study on anthropo-metric dimensions of high school children (15 to 18 years old) Therefore this study was designed with the following objectives to create a data-base of Iranian 15- to 18-year-old students and to compare these anthropometric dimensions between genders and among six main Iranian ethnicities

MaterIals and MethodThis was a cross-sectional study to measure

some static anthropometric dimensions among 15- to 18-year-old students of different Iranian ethnicities studying in high school The students were assigned in each age category according to the information of their identity card for exam-ple a student was considered to be 15 years old when he or she was born in the year 1379 Anno Persico (between March 21 2000 and March 20 2001 AD)

Nineteen static anthropometric dimensions were measured Eight dimensions that is body height sitting height sitting knee height sitting popliteal height buttock-popliteal length but-tock-knee length sitting eye height and sitting elbow height were measured by six anthropo-metric boards designed by researchers (accu-racy plusmn05 mm) The anthropometric boards were validated in the authorsrsquo previous study (Mirmohammadi et al 2013)

Ten dimensions that is arm length forearm length buttock width shoulder width elbow-elbow distance forearm-forearm distance chest depth abdominal depth one-thigh thickness and two-thigh thickness were measured by a digital 75-cm caliper (LG China accuracy plusmn001 mm) which was calibrated each week Weight was measured by a digital weight scale (Laica Italy accuracy plusmn100 g)

The subject posture and the definitions of each anthropometric parameter (standing and sitting) were based on standard guidelines (Hertzberg 1968 Rempel et al 2007) Table 1 shows the definitions of 19 measured anthropo-metric dimensions Six groups of trained expe-rienced technicians performed the measure-ments using similar techniques All of them par-ticipated in a training session before the study Each group consisted of two recorders and an observer and dimensions were measured again for 7 of subjects by two other observers blinded to the previous measurements

All subjects wore light clothing without shoes For sitting dimensions subjects were asked to sit on a chair without armrests and roll-ers with adjustable height knees bent 90deg feet flat on the surface facing forward and arms hanging beside the body (Hertzberg 1968 Vanrsquot Loo 1975)

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Anthropometric Dimensions of irAniAn stuDents 3

The measurements were compared between two genders in each age group A comparison regarding ethnicity was also performed Inde-pendent samples t test was used for comparison of means between two genders and one-way ANOVA was used for the comparison of means among different ethnicities

subjectsThe study sample included 9476 subjects

(4703 boys and 4773 girls) of six ethnicities (1488 Fars 1622 Kurd 1547 Lor 1727 Bal-uch 1582 Turk and 1510 Arab subjects) Table 2 shows detailed information of the subjects Measurements were made from March 1 2011

until August 25 2011 We obtained informed consent from all of the students

resultsIn this study 9476 subjects (4703 boys and

4773 girls) ages 15 to 18 years of six ethnicities were assessed Table 3 shows the comparison of anthropometric dimensions of high school students between two genders

Table 4 shows the mean of 19 anthropometric dimensions in different ethnicities regarding age ANOVA test showed that the differences among ethnicities were statistically significant for all dimensions (p values lt 001 for each dimension) although post hoc test showed that

TAblE 1 Definition of Anthropometric Data

Anthropometric Dimension Definition

Weight Body weightBody height Vertical distance from the floor to the vertex (ie the crown of the head)Chest depth Maximum horizontal distance from the vertical reference plane to the

front of the chest in men or breast in womenAbdominal depth Maximum horizontal distance from the vertical reference surface to

abdominal front in sitting positionArm length Difference between shoulder height and elbow heightForearm length Distance between acromion and tip of the middle fingerForearm-forearm distance Maximum distance between two forearmsElbow-elbow distance Distance between two acromions in standard sitting positionShoulder width Maximum shoulder width in standing positionButtock width Maximum buttock width in sitting positionOne-thigh thickness Maximum thickness of the thighTwo-thigh thickness Maximum two-thigh thickness when right thigh rests over left thighPopliteal height 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 Vertical distance from the floor to the upper surface of the knee in sitting position

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 meet the underside of the thigh

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

Sitting height Vertical distance from the sitting surface to the vertexSitting eye height Vertical distance from the sitting surface to the inner canthus of the eyeSitting elbow height Vertical distance from the seat surface to the underside of the elbowSitting eye height Vertical distance from the sitting surface to the inner canthus of the eye

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4 Month XXXX - Human Factors

this difference was not significant between some ethnicities in different dimensions

Table 5 shows key percentiles (ie 5th 50th and 95th) for the six most commonly used anthropometric dimensions (ie body height popliteal height sitting elbow height elbow-elbow distance buttock width and buttock- popliteal length) in different ethnicities

dIscussIonManufacturing appropriate products for the

end users is now based on the anthropometric dimensions Many factors such as age gender ethnicity nutrition and geographical location may affect these dimensions (Hamill et al 1979 Hisham et al 2012 Jahanshahi et al 2008 Mououdi amp Choobineh 1997 Shrestha et al 2009 Tunay amp Melemez 2008)

In this study 19 anthropometric dimensions were measured among students ages 15 to 18 years old of different ethnicities in Iran Some of these ethnicities live in other countries as well (Fearon 2003) The countries with the most similar ethnic groups to Iranian people include Iraq (Arab Kurd) Turkey (Turk Kurd) Azer-baijan (Turk) Afghanistan (Baluch) Pakistan (Baluch) Syria (Arab Kurd) and Jordan (Arab) although due to different cultural geographical economic and nutritional factors there may be some differences among these populations regarding anthropometric dimensions

We found a statistically significant difference between two genders in all age groups and all

ethnicities All 19 anthropometric dimensions were higher in boys than girls except for chest depth and buttock width which were higher among girls probably due to the development of breasts and other pubertal changes in girls Shrestha et al (2009) found a significant differ-ence between two genders in craniofacial anthropometric measurements Jeong and Park (1990) and Mirmohammadi et al (2013) also found this gender difference in anthropometric dimensions although in different populations

The difference in anthropometric dimensions among various ethnicities was also statistically significant although some dimensions were not significantly different when comparing two eth-nicities with each other For example height of 15-year-old boys was significantly different among all ethnicities but Fars boys were not significantly different from Kurd and Lor boys regarding height and the same was true for other dimensions and other ethnicities

The difference in some dimensions such as chest depth arm length forearm length and popliteal length was negligible but other dimensions were more significantly different between various ethnicities For example Turk and Fars subjects had the highest body weight and height in most age groups but Baluch boys and girls were the shortest and thinnest ones in all age groups Most heights were lowest in Bal-uch girls and boys and were highest among Fars and Turk boys and girls Most depths were low-est in Lor and Baluch subjects

TAblE 2 Number of the Subjects in Each Ethnicity and Gender

Age

15 16 17 18 Total

Ethnicity Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Total

Fars 184 198 218 272 199 195 108 114 709 779 1488Kurd 215 224 215 184 192 245 199 156 813 809 1622Lor 214 192 214 206 229 254 160 103 792 755 1547Baluch 239 247 239 256 204 245 135 161 818 909 1727Turk 210 199 210 183 230 230 176 158 812 770 1582Arab 224 130 224 244 108 204 325 173 759 751 1510Total 1286 1190 1286 1345 1162 1373 1103 865 4703 4773 9476

(text continues on p 12)

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7 by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

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8 by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

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(continued)

9 by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

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TAb

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(co

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(continued)

10 by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

Dim

ensi

on

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1516

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11 by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

12 Month XXXX - Human Factors

These results show that ethnicity may affect anthropometric dimensions which is in accor-dance with some other studies For example Chuan et al (2010) found a significant differ-ence in anthropometric dimensions between Singaporean and Indonesian populations Lin et al (2004) compared four databases of anthro-pometric dimensions among four peoples in East Asia and found a significant difference in many dimensions Rosnah and Sharifah Nora-zizan (2009) assessed the effect of ethnicity on the anthropometric dimensions of elderly Malaysians and found a significant difference between Malays and non-Malays regarding some anthropometric dimensions The effect of ethnicity was also observed between Japanese and Chinese people in Hu et alrsquos (2007) study

We could find only two studies on anthropo-metric dimensions of high school students a study in Nigeria (Musa 2011) and an old study in India (Standard 1990) Comparison of our data showed that most dimensions in our population were higher than Indian averages and almost similar to Nigerian averages (Musa 2011)

However some other variables such as geo-graphical area of residence may also affect anthropometric dimensions Sirajuddin et al (1994) found that geographic factors may affect genetic differentiation of ethnic groups in the southern part of India Ali and Arslan (2009) proved the effect of geographical area of residence on stature and weight in a Turkish population

There is an obvious variation between differ-ent provinces and geographical areas in Iran regarding climate and economy For example Sistan and Baluchestan a province in the south-east of Iran is a naturally deprived region but Azarbayjan a province in the northwest of Iran is a naturally rich area Therefore in addition to eth-nicity some differences may ensue due to geo-graphical climatic and economic differences It is likely that climatic nutritional and economic factors in Iran are different from other countries which can affect anthropometric dimensions

The set of anthropometric dimensions we measured in this study are most commonly col-lected across various anthropometric databases and some of them can be used as a basis for determination of different dimensions of school

furniture especially chair and desk for exam-ple popliteal height and knee height for chair seat height buttock-popliteal length for chair seat depth elbow-elbow distance for the dis-tance between chair armrests sitting elbow height for armrest height buttock width for chair seat width and thigh thickness for clearance under desk surface It is recommended to repeat these kinds of studies to understand the secular trends among Iranian students

This study had some limitations We consid-ered ethnicity as the main variable that affects anthropometric dimensions but some other fac-tors such as geographical location and nutrition may affect these dimensions as well Selection of native subjects was according to their parentsrsquo testimony but some hybrid samples may have entered the study

conclusIonsAccording to the results of this study there

is a significant difference among Iranian eth-nicities regarding anthropometric dimensions although it should also be considered that these ethnicities are different regarding their climate economic status geographical location and nutrition as well

acknowledgMentsThe authors are grateful to all students who par-

ticipated in this study

key PoInts bull Anthropometric dimensions of the users should be

considered when determining the dimensions of school furniture

bull This study showed a significant gender difference in all anthropometric dimensions

bull This study showed a significant difference among different ethnicities in most anthropometric dimensions

referencesAli İ amp Arslan N (2009) Estimated anthropometric measure-

ments of Turkish adults and effects of age and geographical regions International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 860ndash865

Bolstad G Benum B amp Rokne A (2001) Anthropometry of Norwegian light industry and office workers Applied Ergo-nomics 32 239ndash246

by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

Anthropometric Dimensions of irAniAn stuDents 13

Burton A K Clarke R D McClune T D amp Tillotson K M (1996) The natural history of low back pain in adolescents Spine 21 2323ndash2328

Case-Smith J amp OrsquoBrien J C (2013) Occupational therapy for children New York Elsevier Health Sciences

Castellucci H Arezes P amp Viviani C (2010) Mismatch between classroom furniture and anthropometric measures in Chilean schools Applied Ergonomics 41 563ndash568

Chuan T K Hartono M amp Kumar N (2010) Anthropometry of the Singaporean and Indonesian populations International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 40 757ndash766

Dianat I Karimi M A Asl Hashemi A amp Bahrampour S (2013) Classroom furniture and anthropometric characteristics of Iranian high school students Proposed dimensions based on anthropometric data Applied Ergonomics 44 101ndash108

Diep N B (2003) Evaluation of fitness between school furniture and children body size in two primary schools in Haiphong Vietnam (Masterrsquos thesis) Lulea University of Technology Lulea Sweden

Fearon J D (2003) Ethnic and cultural diversity by country Jour-nal of Economic Growth 8 195ndash222

Grimes P amp Legg S (2004) Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in school students as a risk factor for adult MSD A review of the multiple factors affecting posture comfort and health in class-room environments Journal of the Human- Environmental System 7 1ndash9

Hamill P Drizd T A Johnson C L Reed R B Roche A F amp Moore W M (1979) Physical growth National Center for Health Statistics percentiles American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 32 607ndash629

Hertzberg H (1968) The conference on standardization of anthro-pometric techniques and terminology (a report) American Journal of Physical Anthropology 28 1ndash16

Hisham S Mamat C R amp Ibrahim M A (2012) Multivariate statistical analysis for race variation from foot anthropometry in the Malaysian population Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences 44 285ndash293

Hu H Li Z Yan J Wang X Xiao H Duan J amp Zheng L (2007) Anthropometric measurement of the Chinese elderly living in the Beijing area International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 37 303ndash311

Jahanshahi M Golalipour M amp Heidari K (2008) The effect of ethnicity on facial anthropometry in northern Iran Singapore Medical Journal 49 940

Jeong B Y amp Park K S (1990) Sex differences in anthropom-etry for school furniture design Ergonomics 33 1511ndash1521

Kayis B amp Oumlzok A (1991) The anthropometry of Turkish army men Applied Ergonomics 22 49ndash54

Lee Y S amp Shin S H (2004) Anthropometric data application in product design Japanese Journal of Ergonomics 40(Suppl) 126ndash127

Lin Y-C Wang M-J J amp Wang E M (2004) The comparisons of anthropometric characteristics among four peoples in East Asia Applied Ergonomics 35 173ndash178

Milanese S amp Grimmer K (2004) School furniture and the user population An anthropometric perspective Ergonomics 47 416ndash426

Mirmohammadi S J Hafezi R Mehrparvar A H Gerdfara-marzi R S Mostaghaci M Nodoushan R J amp Rezaeian B (2013) An epidemiologic study on anthropometric dimen-sions of 7ndash11-year-old Iranian children Considering ethnic differences Ergonomics 56 90ndash102

Mirmohammadi S J Mehrparvar A H Jafari S amp Mostaghaci M (2011) An assessment of the anthropometric data of Iranian

university students International Journal of Occupational Hygiene 3(2) 85ndash89

Mououdi M amp Choobineh A (1997) Static anthropometric characteristics of students age range six-11 in Mazandaran provinceIran and school furniture design based on ergonomics principles Applied Ergonomics 28 145ndash147

Musa A I (2011) Anthropometric evaluations and assessment of school furniture design in Nigeria A case study of secondary schools in rural area of Odeda Nigeria International Journal of Industrial Engineering Computations 2(3) 499

Oyewole S A Haight J M amp Freivalds A (2010) The ergo-nomic design of classroom furniturecomputer work station for first graders in the elementary school International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 40 437ndash447

Parcells C Stommel M amp Hubbard R P (1999) Mismatch of classroom furniture and student body dimensions Empirical findings and health implications Journal of Adolescent Health 24 265ndash273

Prado-Leoacuten L R Avila-Chaurand R o amp Gonzaacutelez-Muntildeoz E L (2001) Anthropometric study of Mexican primary school children Applied Ergonomics 32 339ndash345

Rempel D M Wang P-C Janowitz I Harrison R J Yu F amp Ritz B R (2007) A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of new task chairs on shoulder and neck pain among sewing machine operators The Los Angeles Garment Study Spine 32 931ndash938

Rosnah M amp Sharifah Norazizan S (2009) Anthropometry dimensions of older Malaysians Comparison of age gender and ethnicity Asian Social Science 5(6) 133

Shrestha O Bhattacharya S Jha N Dhungel S Jha C Shres-tha S amp Shrestha U (2009) Cranio facial anthropometric measurements among Rai and Limbu community of Sunsari District Nepal Nepal Medical College Journal 11 183ndash185

Sirajuddin S Duggirala R amp Crawford M (1994) Population structure of the Chenchu and other south Indian tribal groups Relationships between genetic anthropometric dermato-glyphic geographic and linguistic distances Human Biology 66 865ndash884

Snyder R G (1977) Anthropometry of infants children and youths to age 18 for product safety design Final report Ann Arbor University of Michigan Highway Safety Research Institute

Standard I (1990) Anthropometric dimensions for school children age group 5-17 years (CED 35 Furniture) Retrieved from httpslawresourceorgpubinbismanifestced35html

Tunay M amp Melemez K (2008) An analysis of biomechanical and anthropometric parameters on classroom furniture design African Journal of Biotechnology 7 1081ndash1086

Vanrsquot Loo G (1975) Anthropometric data for students in primary and secondary schools in the Maldives Republic Bangkok Thailand UNESCO Regional Office for Education

Yao W Mai X Luo C Ai F amp Chen Q (2011) A cross- sectional survey of nonspecific low back pain among 2083 schoolchildren in China Spine 36 1885ndash1890

Amir Houshang Mehrparvar is an associate profes-sor in the Department of Occupational Medicine at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd Iran He received an MD in 2000 and a degree in occupational medicine in 2006 from Tehran Uni-versity of Medical Sciences His areas of research

by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from

14 Month XXXX - Human Factors

include occupational hearing loss ergonomics and occupational respiratory diseases

Seyyed Jalil Mirmohammadi is an associate profes-sor in the Department of Occupational Medicine at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd Iran He received an MD from Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in 2000 and a degree in occupational medicine from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2001 His areas of research include occupational hearing loss ergo-nomics and work-related musculoskeletal disorders

Rahmatollah Hafezi is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran Iran He received an MD from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 1995 and a degree in psychiatry from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2000 His areas of research include physical therapy and ergonomics

Mehrdad Mostaghaci is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Medicine at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd Iran He received an MD from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2000 and a degree in occupa-tional medicine from Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in 2012 His areas of research include occupational hearing loss and ergonomics

Mohammad Hossein Davari is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Medicine at Sha-hid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd Iran He received an MD from Najafabad University of Medical Sciences in 2008 and a degree in occupational medicine from Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in 2013 His areas of research include occupational hearing loss and ergo-nomics

Date received April 14 2014Date accepted August 4 2014

by guest on September 13 2014hfssagepubcomDownloaded from