ABSTRACT

Anthropometric data are important references for ergonomics design. Most of the anthropometric data for children are collected from children without disabilities. It may not be applicable for children with disabilities. Scoliosis are often observed in children with disabilities. A study of anthropometric data and scoliosis screening for children with physical and mental disabilities were conducted in Hsinchu, Taiwan. One hundred and four children including 72 boys and 32 girls, aged from 7 to 12 years, participated in this study. Three-dimensional coordinate measurement probe and digital tape were used to measure body dimensions in height, length and girth. Adam’s forward bending test was used to screen whether there is a positive sign of scoliosis. The results of forward bending test showed that the percentage with positive sign for boys was 33% and for girls was 28%. In addition, high percentage of positive scoliosis screening was found in children with physical disability (75%). In anthropometric data, non-scoliosis and scoliosis children were similar in heights, lengths, and girths. Furthermore, we also compared our data to a previous study for normal school children in the same geographic area, and found that the anthropometric data for the disability group were smaller than those of the normal group. These results provide important information in designs for children with special needs.