Seated anthropometry, functional reach, and hand strength in Korean wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: reference percentiles for assistive-technology and accessible design

PURPOSE: Assistive and accessible environments for wheelchair users are still commonly dimensioned from general-adult seated anthropometry. This study provides population-specific reference values for wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) and links these to assistive-technology (AT) and accessibility decisions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the public 8th Size Korea survey, sex-specific percentiles for 26 seated measures, two functional reaches and hand strength were derived for 338 wheelchair users with SCI (246 men, 92 women); 19 dimensions were compared with a general adult sample (40-69 years) using age-adjusted models with false-discovery-rate control. Work-surface targets were translated to floor-referenced values against accessibility criteria; grip strength was analysed as a two-part (zero-inflated) outcome. RESULTS: Seated heights were 9-27% lower than in the general sample, which was measured in an instructed erect posture, and trunk circumference and breadth were larger; upper-limb lengths differed modestly and lower-body seated dimensions were shorter. Under plausible seat heights, the height accommodating 90% of users fell below common accessible work-surface ranges. 8.3% of men produced no grip force. CONCLUSIONS: General-adult and standard accessibility assumptions may under-accommodate wheelchair users with SCI, although differing posture protocols preclude exact between-sample comparison. Population-specific percentiles can inform adjustable AT, accessible design, and low-force non-grasp interfaces, pending task-based validation.