Anthropometric Factors in Seat Comfort Evaluation: Identification and Quantification of Body Dimensions Affecting Seating Comfort

The objective of the presented study was the identification and quantification of anthropometric factors in seat comfort evaluation. Therefore, a “comfort-critical” and a “comfort-reference” seat were evaluated by 70 participants (38 men, 32 women) with a questionnaire consisting of 22 items. To identify anthropometric effects a certain requirement had to be fulfilled. The first analysis should show that the “comfort-reference” seat was rated better, compared to the basic “comfort-critical” seat, due to its additional adjustment tracks. The results showed that the “comfort-reference” seat was assessed better in 19 items. Based on these findings a second analysis was investigating, if the assumed anthropometric effects occurred more frequently on the worse rated “comfort-critical” seat. Therefore the participants were divided in three groups depending on their body dimensions. A statistical comparison of the three groups were performed for eight measured anthropometric variables. The number of significant differences between the body dimension groups were higher for the “comfort-critical” seat compared to the “comfort-reference” seat. The data show that anthropometric effects are existing in seat comfort evaluation and a deeper understanding of how body dimension affecting seat comfort needs to be researched.