Abstract
PurposeWe aimed to establish criteria for determining the deformed lateral torso type to identify individuals requiring measurement methods different from standard methods before extracting dimensions from three-dimensional (3D) scan data.Design/methodology/approachWe collected the 3D body scan data of 119 women aged 70–85 years collected in the 6th Size Korea. Three axes were defined to determine the deformation of the lateral shape, and the angle of each reference axis was used for the analysis. Additionally, to classify the lateral torso shape, 14 experts made visual judgments on the side-view images of the participants.FindingsTo identify the axis that best represented the lateral torso shape, we used each angle value of the three reference axes as an independent variable and the expert’s visual classification as a dependent variable. Each discriminant function was obtained and accuracy calculated. The whole torso axis exhibited the highest accuracy. Next, an assessment scale was developed to determine the shape of the lateral torso using the angular value of the whole torso axis.Originality/valueThe scale developed in this study has the potential to reduce measurement errors arising from elderly deformed torso shapes, thereby enhancing data reliability.