The upper body type classification of middle-aged and elderly Korean women

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the change in women's somatotype with aging. The subjects were 1,123 women aged 40~69. Their anthropometric data were from the 6th Size Korea. The data were analyzed by factor analysis and cluster analysis. Seven factors were extracted: body mass, body length, back shoulder, arm length factor, front interscye factor, body rise factor, and shoulder angle. The upper body types of middle-aged and elderly women were classified into five types: skinny, short stout body type with forward posture, composite, tall & full body type, and short & skinny. The skinny and composite body type appeared more often than the short stout body type in the early 40s of Korean women. Starting in the mid-50s, composite body type was less often found. However, the number of women with short stout body type increased. In the 60s, the number of women with short stout and tall & full body types decreased. These results reveal that the body types of middle-aged and elderly women changed with some pattern with aging. And women in their early 40s, mid-50s, and 60s women had different body shapes and postures.