Women 55 Years and Older: Part I

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, Misses Tall, Women, and Half-Size) in 6 to 10 sizes each. Mean differences of each size within each figure type were compared by using t-tests. Significant differences between the current older women's body measurements and the PS 42-70 database measurements were found in the majority of sizes across the figure types. Body measurements that were significantly greater than the PS 42-70 database across the sizes and figure types were abdominal-extension, waist, sitting-spread, armscye, bust-height (level), back-width, chest-width, hip and hip-arc. Some measurements (e.g., hip-height, inseam, cervical-height, waist-arc, abdominal-arc, and weight) tended to be generally greater than those of the PS 42-70 with a few exceptions in some figure types. Depending on the sizes and figure types, other measurements varied in both directions from the PS 42-70. It can be expected that women 55 and older will have difficulties buying clothing that fits well under the current domestic sizing system. Therefore, it is critically important that this new database be used to develop improved sizing for women 55 and older. Part II explores women's perceptions of fitting problems experienced when buying clothing cut from domestic sizing charts which have evolved from PS 42-70, the industry's only existing large scale female body measurement database established from 1940 body measurement data.