Abstract
The purpose of this study was to classier the somatotype of late middle-aged women and to analyze the characteristics of each somatotype. The subjects were 337 late middle-aged women and their age range os from 45 to 59 fears old. Data were collected through anthropometry and photometry and analyzed by factor analysis, cluster analysis and discriminant analysis. The results were as follows; 1. The result of factor analysis indicated that 9 factors were extracted through factor analysis and those factors comprised 83.56 percent of total valiance. 2. Using factor scores, cluster analysis was carried out and the subject were classified into 4 cluster. Each cluster was classified as their body front and side view contour. Type 1 is tall, slim, and lower balk is flat on the side. Type 2 is standard and lean-back type on the side. Type 3 is standard height and weight, H type in front, and belly-protruded on the side. Type 4 is short, fat, and the side is hip-protruded. 3. According to the stepwise discriminant analysis, the 9 important items in classifying the somatotype of the late middle-aged women are as follows ; lower back tilt angle, hip depth(back) -back waist depth(back), bust depth(fore) - anterior waist depth(fore), jugular fossa point(fore), upper back tilt angle, burst breadth -waist breadth, right shoulder tilt, height of shoulder - height of anterior waist, abdomen breath. The correct classification rate for these items is as exact as 84.62%.