Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia.
Biomechanics Research Laboratory, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
Ergonomics. 2021 Dec;64(12):1623-1633. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2021.1951849. Epub 2021 Aug 3.
This study investigated whether female soldiers experience bra integration or breast discomfort/injuries related to body armour use and whether these issues were associated with breast size. Ninety-seven Australian Defence Force female soldiers completed a questionnaire and had their breast volume assessed (range: 91-919 ml/breast) using three-dimensional scanning. Twenty-two percent ( = 21) of participants reported integration issues between their bra and body armour, 63% ( = 61) reported breast discomfort while wearing body armour and 27% ( = 26) reported experiencing a breast injury related to wearing body armour. Although bra-body armour integration was not dependent upon breast size, female soldiers with medium-large breasts reported significantly more breast discomfort and injuries when using body armour compared to participants with small breasts. These findings highlight the importance of developing body armour systems that cater to the range of breast sizes of female soldiers in order to improve bra-body armour integration and reduce breast discomfort and injury. This exploratory research provides evidence of bra integration issues, breast discomfort and breast injury experienced by female soldiers when wearing body armour. Given the growing representation of women in military organisations, strategies to alleviate these issues for female users of body armour, particularly those with larger breast sizes, are required.
这项研究调查了女性士兵在使用防弹衣时是否会经历胸罩整合或乳房不适/受伤问题，以及这些问题是否与乳房大小有关。97 名澳大利亚国防军女士兵完成了一份调查问卷，并使用三维扫描评估了她们的乳房体积（范围：91-919 毫升/乳房）。22%（21 人）的参与者报告说她们的胸罩和防弹衣之间存在整合问题，63%（61 人）报告说在穿防弹衣时感到乳房不适，27%（26 人）报告说在穿防弹衣时乳房受伤。尽管胸罩-防弹衣的整合并不取决于乳房大小，但与乳房较小的参与者相比，乳房较大的女性士兵在使用防弹衣时报告的乳房不适和受伤明显更多。这些发现强调了开发适合女性士兵各种乳房大小的防弹衣系统的重要性，以改善胸罩-防弹衣的整合并减少乳房不适和受伤。这项探索性研究提供了女性士兵在穿防弹衣时经历胸罩整合问题、乳房不适和乳房受伤的证据。鉴于女性在军事组织中的代表性不断增加，需要为女性防弹衣使用者，特别是那些乳房较大的女性，制定缓解这些问题的策略。
