The New York Posture Rating (NYPR) was evaluated for assessing postural alignment changes in a garment study as captured in photographs and body scans. The posture of 15 pre-menopausal females aged 40 to 55 were assessed while wearing a control and a posture support garment. The scale was successfully applied with good rater reliability for photographs (0.77) and body scans (0.91). Overall photographic posture assessments were not significant, however, two body segments showed improvement. Overall body scan posture assessments revealed significant improvement for the posture support garment, and improvement in one body segment (neck). Paired t –test comparison of NYPR from photographs and body scans were not significantly different in the posture support garment and significantly different for the control. Possible solutions are discussed. Overall results, support the potential use of the NYPR in studies of garment effects on posture and the body scans as an assessment tool.

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This research intends to understand the acceptance of online mass-customized athletic shoes among college students through applying the theory of reasoned action with a focus on whether utilitarian value and need for uniqueness influence favorable attitude formation differently. The questionnaires were distributed to 260 college students in a major southeastern US university using extra class credit as participation incentive. SPSS 23.0 and SPSS Amos 23 were used in data analysis. Structural equation modeling with a path comparison were used to assess construct validity and test the proposed hypotheses and conceptual framework. Results showed that college students’ acceptance and purchase intention could be predicted by attitudes and subjective norm. In addition to perceived security of the online environment, utilitarian value and need for uniqueness equally facilitated formation of favorable attitude toward acceptance of online mass-customized athletic shoes among college students. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as the limitations of the study are further discussed.

A prototype soft-structured thoracic posture support garment was evaluated for postural alignment effectiveness, wearer acceptability, ease of movement and fit as compared to a sports bra (no posture support) and a commercial soft-structured posture support garment. Fifteen female participants conducted a wear protocol in each of the garments, were evaluated for posture, and provided wearer assessments of the other three variables. Results indicated that the prototype was as effective as the commercial support garment in improving posture but was more acceptable to wearers, easier to move in and fit less tightly than the commercial support garment. Wearer assessments of the prototype were not significantly different from the sport bra, indicating success in developing an effective posture support garment with potential for better wear compliance than existing posture support solutions.

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