BANGKOK, Feb 25 (TNA) - Thailand’s first standard body size chart has been unveiled to the public on Wednesday, as Thai people developed bigger sizes and shapes than in past generation.
The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, announced its team of 11 researchers has successfully developed the Thai standard size chart, under a two-year programme called ‘SizeThailand’.
Dr. Chularat Tanprasert, who initiates the SizeThailand programme, said researchers have collated data on the average size of 13,442 Thai men and women of different age group across the country by using advanced 3D Body Scanning technology.
The research found that Thai men have grown more than 7 centimetres in height and gained about 12 kilometre in weight, while Thai women have grown 5 centimetres taller and about five and a half kilogrammes heavier, compared to 25 years ago. The female waistline has also increased by 3.7 inches, the bottom expanded by 2 inches and chest increased by 2.2 inches,’ said Dr. Chularat.
The fact that Thai men and women have developed significantly bigger chests, waists and bottoms, means the shape of the average Thai has also changed. In particular, Dr. Chularat noted, the women have become more tubular and have less of the traditional hourglass shape.
Meanwhile, Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Kalaya Sophonpanich said the findings will help Thai fashion, furniture and automobile industries design products to better suit the typical Thai physical standard and adopt more effective stockpile management strategies.
Dr. Kalaya added that the SizeThailand programme also gives advantages to medical experts to apply data analysing specific health risks associated with the patient’s physique.
The minister noted Thailand is the fifth nation, after the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Japan, to have used Three Dimensional (3D) Body Scanning technology to collate data on their population to develop typical standard body size chart for the benefits of local industries.
SizeThai (acronym TH) consists of nine sizes for men: TH 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, and 46m while there are 10 sizes for women: TH 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40,c42, 44 and 46. The majority of Thai men size are TH 40, while women are TH 36. (TNA)
General News : Last Update : 17:32:02 25 February 2009 (GMT+7:00)
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