Anthropometric characteristics of Jordanian elderly and cross-population comparisons for ergonomic design applications

Background Designing toys, hand tools, furniture, and other ergonomic products requires careful consideration of users’ safety, comfort, and physical characteristics, particularly for elderly individuals. Anthropometric databases for older adults in developing countries remain limited, and human body measurements across multiple age groups are still insufficiently articulated. Objective The primary objective of this study was to establish a comprehensive anthropometric database for the Jordanian elderly population and to systematically evaluate age- and gender-related variations in body dimensions for ergonomic, industrial, and elderly-oriented design applications. Methods This study presents a comprehensive anthropometric dataset for 284 Jordanian elderly individuals equally divided between males and females. Participants were classified into four age groups: 60–65, 66–70, 71–75, and 76–80 years. A total of 25 precise static linear body measurements, including skeletal dimensions between body joints, were collected. These measurements included key indicators including but were not limited to stature, sitting height, shoulder height, eye height, and several other important anthropometric parameters. Afterwards, the collected data were compared with anthropometric data from other populations. Results The results showed noticeable differences in multiple body dimensions across different populations. Variations were also observed among different age groups and genders within the studied population. The obtained dataset provides important anthropometric reference values for elderly-oriented ergonomic and industrial design applications. Conclusion The anthropometric database developed in this study represents a valuable reference for the ergonomic design of functional products intended for elderly users in Jordan and other regions with similar demographic characteristics. The findings may support industries and designers in developing safer and more age-appropriate products while also emphasizing the importance of establishing additional comprehensive anthropometric databases for elderly populations worldwide.