Complaints arising from a mismatch between school furniture and anthropometric measurements of rural secondary school children during classwork

Dhara, Prakash Chandra; Khaspuri, Gurucharan; Sau, Soudeep Kumar

doi:10.1007/s12199-008-0055-8

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

Table 1 Comparison between various dimensions of school furniture and respective anthropometric measurements of the school children

From: Complaints arising from a mismatch between school furniture and anthropometric measurements of rural secondary school children during classwork

Measurements	Age groups
	10 years		11 years		12 years		13 years		14 years		15 years
	Mean ± SD	% Difference	Mean ± SD	% Difference	Mean ± SD	% Difference	Mean ± SD	% Difference	Mean ± SD	% difference	Mean ± SD	% Difference
Bench height	46.3 ± 1.3	36.6	46.2 ± 1.6	29.4	45.7 ± 1.5	21.5	45.8 ± 1.6	12.8	46.6 ± 1.6	9.1	46.5 ± 2.0	5.7
Popliteal height^a	33.9 ± 2.2	36.6	35.7 ± 2.5	29.4	37.6 ± 2.3	21.5	40.6 ± 3.7	12.8	42.7 ± 3.5	9.1	44.0 ± 3.1	5.7
Per capita allotted length of bench	29.5 ± 7.8	5.4	28.9 ± 5.6	12.4	30.1 ± 6.2	13.3	19.5 ± 5.2	48.4	32.7 ± 7.2	14.6	34.1 ± 7.9	15.4
Bi-deltoid breadth^a	31.2 ± 2.3	5.4	33.0 ± 2.6	12.4	34.7 ± 3.0	13.3	37.8 ± 4.3	48.4	38.3 ± 3.0	14.6	40.3 ± 3.1	15.4
Bench depth	26.9 ± 2.3	23.8	26.2 ± 1.5	31.6	26.5 ± 1.9	34.7	26.3 ± 1.8	40.2	27.1 ± 2.0	41.0	27.2 ± 1.9	41.8
Buttock-popliteal length^a	35.3 ± 2.7	23.8	38.3 ± 2.8	31.6	40.6 ± 2.8	34.7	44.0 ± 4.5	40.2	45.9 ± 3.8	41.0	46.7 ± 2.8	41.8
Desk height	75.4 ± 2.7	36.1	75.1 ± 2.5	31.3	75.4 ± 2.1	26.7	74.8 ± 2.6	22.4	75.6 ± 2.5	18.9	75.9 ± 2.7	17.9
Elbow height from the floor^a	55.4 ± 2.2	36.1	57.2 ± 2.4	31.3	59.5 ± 2.3	26.7	61.1 ± 2.3	22.4	63.6 ± 2.1	18.9	64.4 ± 2.2	17.9
Per capita allotted length of desk	30.1 ± 7.2	25.7	30.4 ± 7.6	27.4	30.4 ± 7.7	30.0	30.9 ± 7.0	32.4	30.7 ± 8.3	33.8	31.2 ± 6.5	34.9
Elbow to elbow length (writing position)^a	40.5 ± 6.2	25.7	41.9 ± 4.9	27.4	43.4 ± 7.2	30.0	45.7 ± 6.5	32.4	46.4 ± 5.4	33.8	47.9 ± 7.5	34.9
Clearance for standing	13.5 ± 2.4	14.4	14.4 ± 3.1	15.2	13.8 ± 2.5	1.4	13.9 ± 2.6	2.8	15.5 ± 2.1	2.6	15.4 ± 3.0	2.5
Maximum horizontal distance between calf and thigh^b	11.8 ± 1.7	14.4	12.5 ± 1.2	15.2	14.0 ± 1.1	1.4	14.3 ± 1.7	2.8	15.1 ± 1.3	2.6	15.8 ± 1.8	2.5

^aDuring sitting
^bDuring standing (all measurements are expressed in centimeters). The % difference was calculated by taking the difference between furniture dimensions and anthropometric dimensions, and it was expressed as percentage with respect to anthropometric dimensions

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