Variation of arm span in the elderly and using this measurement as alternative to body height

Abstract

As a result of loss of bone tissue due to anatomical changes and the effect of osteoporosis and osteopenia, body height becomes shorter in the aging period. Decreasing of body height in the aging period brings along the problem that the Body Mass Index (BMI) cannot be calculated correctly. In order to use it instead of length, the arm span will be examined in this study. In this direction, primarily, the change of arm span in the elderly during the aging period will be evaluated. Anthropometric measurements of height, arm span, half-arm span and arm length were taken from a total of 325 people, 154 women and 171 men, aged between 65 and 90 years. According to the results of correlation and regression analysis, it is seen that the greatest change occurred in height (r=0.227; AdjR2=0.048). The amount of change in arm span (r=0.158; AdjR2=0.022) reveals that this variable cannot be an alternative variable to height. The small amount of change in arm length in the aging period revealed that this variable can be used as an alternative measure for body height (r=0.059; AdjR2=0.000).

Keywords

• Body height
• body mass index
• arm span
• aging
• anthropometry

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