Anthropometric measurement of the Chinese elderly living in the Beijing area

Anthropometric data of the elderly have become an immediate need for ergonomic design of health care and living products even in a developing country like China. The first aim of this survey was to collect anthropometric data of the Chinese elderly (aged over 65) living in the Beijing area. 58 females (age range 65.0–80.7, mean 71.2, SD 4.1) and 50 males (age range 65.2–85.1, mean 71.5, SD 4.4) took part in the survey. A total of 47 anthropometric dimensions and three items of functional strength were measured. Mean values, standard deviations, coefficients of variation, and percentiles for each parameter were estimated. It was found that in most dimensions there were no significant differences between the age groups of 65–69 and 70–74 or between the age groups of 70–74 and 75+. Male and female elderly had no significant differences in the body dimensions around the hip area. Comparison between Chinese (Beijing) and Japanese elderly shows that Chinese (Beijing) elderly are larger in the dimensions of the body trunk, and Japanese elderly are larger in the dimensions of the head and extremities. The conclusions are based on a limited number of subjects in the Beijing area, and the in-depth reasons for the above findings remain a subject for further study.Relevance to industryThe continuous growth of the number of aged people has created a big market of health care and living products for the elderly. Anthropometric data are essential to the ergonomic design of these products. However, available anthropometric data for aged people are quite limited. This study fills part of this gap by supplying anthropometric data of the Chinese elderly.