Women 55 Years and Older: Part I Current Body Measurements As Contrasted to the PS 42-70 Data

This study, sponsored by the Institute for Standards Research and the apparel industry, was undertaken to establish the very first large-scale body measurement database specifically of women age 55 and older. Part I examines differences in body measurements between the new database and the Voluntary Product Standard PS 42-70 database. Data collection and computing methodologies were pilot tested in Arizona with 469 subjects who were 55 years of age and older. State project coordinators (n = 38) and data collectors (n = 391) in 38 states were recruited and provided training during the two-day workshops conducted in 24 regional locations. Measurements of a total of 6,652 ambulatory women, representing 38 states, were included in the final analysis. A specially designed computer program sorted subjects by size based on the same bust, height, and weight criteria as those used in the PS 42-70 database. For the analysis subjects were classified into 7 figure types (Junior Petite, Junior, Misses Petite, Misses, ...