Anthropometry of elderly people in the Netherlands; research and applications

In order to fill the need for useful ergonomic data on elderly people, an anthropometric investigation has been conducted in several old people's homes in The Hague, the Netherlands. Twenty-five functional body dimensions of 822 elderly people were measured using methods based on international standards. The results have been used to compile a set of ergonomic recommendations and are being implemented in an existing CAD-model called ADAPS. This paper presents and discusses the findings of the investigation, and compares them with the English results from Loughborough and with the German DIN 33402. The mean value and standard deviation of unshod stature and weight were 157.1 cm (8.9 cm) and 63.7 kg (14 kg) respectively for 197 male and 625 female elderly. For the male sample, these values were 165.6 cm (8.2 cm) and 67.3 kg (13 kg); and for the female sample, they were 154.3 cm (7.2 cm) and 62.6 kg (14 kg), respectively. There were no large differences from published figures from the UK and Germany, but there are with figures on younger people.