School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design, Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 31;19(17):10861. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710861.
Studying the in-shoe microclimate of older individuals is important for enhancing their foot comfort and preventing foot diseases. However, there is a lack of scientific work that explores the thermo-physiological wear comfort of older individuals with different footwear. This study aims to examine the effects of upper footwear materials on changes and distributions in the foot skin temperature and relative humidity for older individuals. Forty older individuals are recruited to perform sitting and walking activities under four experimental conditions in a conditioning chamber. The findings indicate that footwear upper constructed of highly permeable mesh fabric with large air holes shows fewer changes in foot skin temperature (ranging from 1.3 to 3.3 °C) and relative humidity (ranging from -13.3 to 5.7%) throughout the entire foot during dynamic walking, as well as higher subjective ratings on perceived thermal comfort when compared to footwear made of synthetic leather and composite layers. The findings serve to enhance current understanding of designing footwear with optimum comfort for older adults.
研究老年人的鞋内微气候对于提高他们的足部舒适度和预防足部疾病非常重要。然而，目前缺乏科学研究来探讨不同鞋类对老年人热生理穿着舒适度的影响。本研究旨在研究不同鞋面材料对上脚皮肤温度和相对湿度变化和分布的影响。招募了 40 名老年人在调节室内的四个实验条件下进行坐姿和行走活动。研究结果表明，在动态行走过程中，具有大通气孔的高透气网眼织物制成的鞋面在整个足部的皮肤温度（变化范围为 1.3 至 3.3°C）和相对湿度（变化范围为-13.3 至 5.7%）的变化较小，并且与合成革和复合材料层制成的鞋面相比，老年人对热舒适的主观评价更高。这些发现有助于提高对为老年人设计具有最佳舒适度的鞋类的理解。
