Abstract
The author measured 111 old females (63-87 years old) and 111 young females (19-24 years old) anthropometrically in 1988-89. To determine the old upper trunk surface development, we applied the tight fitting technique. Principal component analysis was applied to : 18 indices relative to stature for expressing whole body form, 12 indices for expressing upper trunk form, and 9 measurements for expressing lower trunk form. To explain variations in the body form, 5 components of the whole body form, 3 components of the upper trunk form, and 4 components of the lower trunk form were extracted and interpreted. There were differences between young and old in the actual proportions of the measurements. The indices of posterior shoulder length/bust girth, anterior waist length/posterior waist length of the old were smaller than those of the young. The indices of posterior chest length/posterior shoulder length of the old were larger than those of the young. Compared to the young, the old had extremely large waist girth and hip girth, and their anterior length from waist to floor was longer than their posterior length from waist to floor. Individual differences of the old were larger than those of the young. Large differences between young and old were found as a result of cluster analysis. Variables that contributed predominantly to classification were selected by canonical discriminant analysis, and there were differences between the young and old. The meaning of principal components expressing characteristics of old upper trunk form, and the characteristics of each cluster of the upper body form were expressed by upper trunk surface development.
