2012 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Personnel: Methods and Summary Statistics

Abstract : This report presents results of a comprehensive anthropometric survey of U.S. Army Soldiers (ANSUR II), completed in 2012 by the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. Goals of the survey were to acquire a large body of data from comparably measured males and females to serve the Army s current design and engineering needs, as well as those anticipated well into the future. Ninety-four directly measured dimensions, 39 derived dimensions, and three-dimensional (3-D) head, foot, and full-body scans were obtained on each subject in this study. The sample consisted of 7435 men and 3922 women. This includes Active Duty, National Guard, and Army Reserve Soldiers. Results of the directly measured dimensions are given here in the form of summary statistics, percentile data, and frequency distributions. Also included are well-illustrated descriptions of the measurements and of the landmarks used to define them; an explanation of the manual and 3-D procedures used in the study; demographic data characterizing the sample in terms of its racial/ethnic, gender, age, geographic, and occupational distribution; comparative statistics showing changes in the body sizes of Army personnel since the last large-scale survey in 1988; and, a detailed explanation of how observer error was calculated for this study to ensure optimum reliability. The sampling strategy (rationale and execution) is detailed in an appendix. Other appendices include information on the comparability of the measurement techniques used in this survey with those used in other large-scale military surveys, visual indices to help readers locate dimensions with unfamiliar names, and a cross-reference table to help readers accustomed to locating dimensions by number.