Regional differences in world human body dimensions: the multi-way analysis approach

In the global market, it is vital to design products and work environments to satisfactorily meet the regional variations of human body dimensions. Few studies to date have, however, attempted to examine regional differences due to unavailability of data. Jürgens, H.W., Aune, I.A. and Peiper, U., 1990, International Data on Anthropometry, Occupational Safety and Health Series Report #65 (Geneva: International Labor Office) employed various sources to assemble anthropometric data for 20 world regions. The data provided estimates for the 5th, 50th and 95th percentiles of 19 body dimensions for both genders. In this paper, the method parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), a natural extension of principal component analysis (PCA) to so-called multi-way array, is performed and favourably compared with the results from PCA. Several comparative studies are performed to justify the use of percentiles rather than individual subject body dimensions. It is found that the outcomes using either are comparable, especially if the body dimensions are mean-centred. Body dimensions related to height (such as stature, buttock–heel length, sitting height and forward reach) are the most critical in describing the international variations; hip breadth showing gender difference is the second most important. People in European regions as well as Australia are the tallest and largest, whereas people in South Indian and Latin American (Indian) regions are the shortest and smallest. The 20 world regions are grouped into four groups that are relatively homogeneous in body dimensions. Potential application of PARAFAC is discussed for the areas in which the data are three-dimensional in nature (such as body dimensions × gender/percentile × age).