Physical and Psychological Comfort Evaluation of Maternity Support Garments

Abstract

About 50-70% pregnant women have experienced some form of low back pain (LBP). The use of a support belt is a common part of therapy for back pain associated with pregnancy. However, little research exists with regard to the factors that may influence acceptance and comfort in the use of maternity support garments, which may affect compliance with treatment. This wearer trial involves evaluation of the characteristics of various maternity support garments in an effort to investigate the factors that influence the acceptance and overall comfort of maternity support garments. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate which independent variables were predictive of acceptance and overall comfort scores in maternity support garment. The evidence suggests that overall comfort and ease to wear are perhaps the most significant factors for acceptance of maternity support garment and five factors that may largely contribute to the overall comfort are: abdominal comfort, ease of movement, design, heat transfer, and ease to wear. These findings will contribute to the formulation of design, fabrication, and garment construction criteria for future development of maternity support garment with the aim to promote quality of care to patients and compliance with garment treatment.