In most of the studies on anthropometry, various measurements and the ratios among them were taken as standards for classification of human physique. A lot of complicated data had been observed but, it was often difficult to make reasonable classification.
Recently, a new method “Principal component analysis” has come up. Using the method, reasonable classification can be made with a number of statistically efficient variable which are appropriate for explaining multivariate phenomena in human physique.
The objective of the present study is to examine usefulness of the method for a classification of human physique. A caluculation of principal component analysis was carried out with 22 component out of 54 in connection with breaths and widths together with the ratios among them as the most efficient variables. The subjects perticipated in the present study are 131 female university students.
The conclusions are as follows:
1. The first principal component is the size factor, which expresses about 35% of the whole variance.
2. The second principal component is the obesity factor, which expresses about 19% of the whole variance.
3. The third principal component is the trunk sectionshape factor, which expresses about 9% of the whole variance.
View full abstract