Regional and age-related variations in the anthropometric characteristics of adult men in Croatia: implications for the evaluation of clothing size systems

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse regional and age-related differences in body height and chest girth among adult men in Croatia and to examine their distribution within the dimensional framework of the clothing size designation system according to EN 13402. The study was conducted on a sample of 1,637 adult men aged 20–85 years from two Croatian regions, Region I (Central Croatia; n  = 733) and Region II (Dalmatia; n  = 904). Body height and chest girth were analysed as anthropometric dimensions relevant to men’s clothing size designation, with chest girth representing the primary dimension and body height the secondary dimension. Descriptive statistical methods and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied, with age group and region as factors. Age group had a statistically significant effect on both body height and chest girth, whereas region had a statistically significant effect on body height but not on chest girth. Body height decreased with increasing age, with men from Region II having higher mean values across all age groups. A statistically significant Age Group × Region interaction was found for chest girth ( p  = 0.038), although the effect size was small (partial η ²  = 0.008). Additional pairwise comparisons revealed regional differences in the 50–59 and 60–69 age groups before Bonferroni adjustment; however, these differences were no longer statistically significant after adjustment. The distribution of body height and chest girth combinations showed the highest concentration of participants within the intermediate dimensional ranges defined by EN 13402. The results provide an anthropometric basis for further evaluation of men’s clothing size systems with regard to regional and age-related variation.