The potential effects on design of secular trends in body shape and size of US children
Open Access
- Author:
- Thind, Harsimran Kaur
- Area of Honors:
- Interdisciplinary in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Design
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Matthew B Parkinson, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Sean N Brennan, Thesis Honors Advisor
Dr. Sven G Bilén, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- child anthropometry
anthropometry
design
accommodation
body shape
obesity
3D Models - Abstract:
- The objective of this study is to identify potential consequences for design of secular trends in body size and shape of children in the U.S. Data on stature and mass of children in the U.S. have been collected since the 1960s. These data indicate a trend of increased stature, indicating improvements in nutrition and healthcare, as well as a trend in increasing body mass, confirming an increased prevalence of obesity, particularly since the early 2000s. Many design tools and standards that inform the design process for this market are based on data collected in the 1970s. The design implications of these changes are examined in the context of four case studies. The first involving three-dimensional visualization models, the second involving vehicle safety (i.e., ``booster'') seats, the third involving standardized headforms used for bicycle helmet testing, and the fourth involving pediatric wheelchairs. These studies conclude that changes in body size and shape have occurred for the child population, but not all dimensions of the body have been affected uniformly. Some dimensions have remained consistent; however, some dimensions have increased significantly leading to higher than expected rates of disaccommodation especially on measures of breadth, which are related to increased body mass. Taken together, the case studies demonstrate that accurate and comprehensive anthropometric data are needed in order to make informed design decisions to accommodate broad sets of the child population.