Sports bras are an essential apparel for active women, but may exert excessive pressure that negatively affects thermoregulation, thermal comfort and wear sensation. This study measures skin temperature changes during short durations of exercise on a treadmill with different bra pressures. The results based on 21 female subjects (age: 27.2 ± 4.5 years old) show that bras with more pressure at the underband or shoulder straps do not cause statistically significant skin temperature changes during exercise (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, compared to the optimal bra fit, significant differences in bra-breast skin temperature are found during running, cooling down and sitting when the bra pressure is increased (p < 0.05), particularly under bra cup (T1) in this study. The FLIR thermal images can visualize the skin temperature changes at abdomen throughout the four activity stages. Subjective sensations of bra thermal comfort, pressure and breast support are assessed. Despite the increased pressure on the shoulders and chest wall, perceptions towards thermal comfort remain unchanged. The perceived pressure comfort and support sensation amongst the 4 bra conditions are comparable. Interestingly, positive sensations of pressure comfort and breast support are perceived with a tight-fitting sports bra during treadmill exercise. High pressures induced by sports bras (>4 kPa) that habitually considered harmful to the human body may not lead to wear discomfort but enhance bra support sensation and a sense of security to the wearers.

Foot morphological changes induced by degenerative processes are commonly found in old people. Such changes in foot anthropometry may adversely affect foot health and footwear comfort, and prolonged use of ill-fitting footwear may even cause foot deformation. This study compares foot anthropometric measurements between young and old women to determine key foot measurements, which can also act as indicators for developing footwear appropriate for the elderly. Using a three-dimensional handheld scanner, 11 foot anthropometric measurements are captured and used to characterize the dimensions and foot shape between young and old women. Eighty-two women between the ages of 20 and 95 years—that is, 41 young women (mean = 24.0; standard deviation = 3.5) and 41 old women (mean = 82.1; standard deviation = 7.2)—were recruited for this study. The results indicate that old women have a significantly longer and wider heel than young women as well as significantly larger ball and instep circumferences after normalization for foot length. Old women also exhibit larger deformity in the degree of hallux valgus and more pronated feet than young women do. A discriminant analysis linear equation has also been established to classify their foot type based on heel length and heel width with reference to their age group.