A yearlong study by Spain's Health Ministry reveals that the standard for clothing sizes for women may need to be adjusted to more accurately reflect the body type of a normal person, and not a fashion model.

By measuring over 10,000 female volunteers aged between 12 and 70 years old using laser scans, the study cited that Spanish women fall into three main body types namely hourglass-shaped, pear-shaped, and cylinder.

Women with 'cylinder' body type have chest, waist and hips that are more or less the same size; "hourglasses," with smaller waists; and "bells," or pear-shapes, whose hips are wider than their chests and waists.

With the unrealistic depiction of designers of their body types, four out of 10 women had trouble finding clothes to fit them since sizes differ from one shop to another and because most of the clothes on the racks were too small.

According to the study, 56 percent of Spanish women have a normal body mass index (the ratio of weight to height) and 25 percent are slightly overweight. A little over 12 percent are obese and 1.4 percent are thin or very thin. In the 31 to 40 age bracket, 47.1 percent have hourglass figures, 22.2 percent are pear-shaped and 30.8 are cylindrical. By the time women reach the 61 to 70 age group, this becomes 30.2 percent hourglass, 38.2 percent pear-shaped and 31.6 percent cylindrical.

Based on the findings of the survey, the government plans order the change in the sizing system used by fashion designers. The new clothes' sizing chart would incorporate women's height, chest, waist and hip measurements.