Relationship between height and arm span in women of different age groups

(1) To study the correlation between height and arm span in young, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal age groups, (2) To compare the height and arm span difference in each age group.

Four hundred and eighty-five women from menopause and gynaecologic clinics were included in the study. All subjects were measured for height and arm span. Correlations of height and arm span were obtained for each age group independently and the difference between the two measurements was examined.

Correlation coefficients (r = 0.9899) indicated a clear association between height and arm span measurements in young women. This correlation, however, decreased in perimenopausal and postmenopausal age groups. The mean differences between height and arm span were 0.263 +/- 0.445, 2.105 +/- 1.885, and 2.568 +/- 2.443 cm in the 3 groups, respectively. In comparison with the young age group, the mean difference between height and arm span in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal age groups were significantly different (p < 0.05) and it was the highest in the postmenopausal age group.

The height and arm span were well correlated and could be used interchangeably in young women. The correlation decreased with advancing age. Since arm span does not change with age, we can therefore conclude that there was a decrease in height among women of increasing age using arm span as the reference of the previous height.