Anthropometric Profile of Adult Egyptian Population: Establishment of Normative Data

Abstract

Introduction: Anthropometric measures (AM) are valuable and cost-effective means that could be beneficial in multiple aspects. Normative value for Egyptians AM could be used in many disciplines.Objectives: The study aim was to establish normative values for the anthropometric profile of the Adult Egyptian populations and to compare values obtained for males and females.Material and methods: This study includes 1,916 adult ( ≥ 18 years of age) Egyptians of both male (n = 1,003) and female (n = 913) gender. The sample was recruited in a way to represent different geographical areas of Egypt. Thirty-four anthropometric measures were assessed in a standardised manner using easily accessible measuring tools (rubber tape, plastic-made skinfold caliper).Results: Males represented 52.3%, while females comprised 47.7% of the sample. The mean SD, range, maximum and minimum values of all outcome measures were provided. All anthropometric measures demonstrated statistically significant differences between both genders (p < 0.05) except for proximal thigh (p = 0.896) and ankle circumference (p = 0.441), biceps (p = 0.692) and subscapular (p = 0.951) skinfold thickness (SFT).Conclusion: A new reference for normative anthropometric data is presented. Males and females differ in their anthropometric characteristics, thus, these variations should be considered in any future ergonomic-based designs.