Identifying problems that female soldiers experience with current-issue body armour

Effect of Torso and Breast Characteristics on the Perceived Fit of Body Armour Systems Among Female Soldiers: Implications for Body Armour Sizing and Design

“…Body armour is designed to be positioned superiorly at the level of the suprasternal notch. As armour length increases relative to overall height and height of the suprasternal notch, it is increasingly likely to interfere with trunk mobility and task performance and, therefore, perceptions of armour fit (Molloy et al, 2020;Coltman et al, 2021aColtman et al, , 2022. Conversely, participants who reported their body armour to be too small (n = 14) had a significantly greater Mass, chest circumference (OBCC and UBCC), Chest Depth, Chest Breadth, Waist Circumference, and Neck Circumference compared to those who perceived their body armour to be too large (n = 54).…”

“…Another group found that integration between a soldier's bra and body armour was a source of substantial discomfort (Malbon et al, 2020). The notion of sex-specific discomfort with body armour was supported by findings from an Australian study, which revealed that limited adjustability of the system, insufficient space for breasts and oversized length and width were all common problems reported by female soldiers (Coltman et al, 2021a). Female soldiers now comprise 10.4-17.5% of Defence Force populations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States of America (Defence People Group., 2017;Ministry of Defence., 2018;Mark, 2019;Service Women's Action Network., 2019;Government of Canada., 2020).…”

“…The fit of body armour also has important implications for job and combat performance. That is, poor-fitting body armour can impede a soldier's ability to run efficiently, to shoulder and fire a rifle, to manoeuvre in and out of a vehicle and to complete other mission essential tasks (Mitchell et al, 2010;Choi et al, 2016Choi et al, , 2018Coltman et al, 2020Coltman et al, , 2021a. Consequently, designing and sizing body armour to properly fit all soldiers is vitally important for military organisations to achieve correctly.…”

“…Previous research has revealed that most female soldiers are dissatisfied with the fit of their current body armour systems (Epstein et al, 2013 ; Toma et al, 2016 ; Coltman et al, 2020 , 2021a ; Davis et al, 2020 ). Specifically, questionnaire data related to the fit of body armour was completed by 147 female Australian Defence Force (ADF) soldiers in both combat and non-combat roles.…”

“…A primary source of poor body armour fit for female soldiers is how it is sized and designed (Epstein et al, 2013 ; Toma et al, 2016 ; Coltman et al, 2020 , 2021a ; Malbon et al, 2020 ). Although several anthropometric surveys have been conducted on global soldier populations to inform the design and sizing of protective equipment, military body armour is commonly issued to soldiers in a limited, unisex sizing range (Todd, 2007 ).…”