The effect of underwired and sports bras on breast shape, key anthropometric dimensions, and body armour comfort
| Author | Chris Malbon,Clare Knock,Richard Critchley,Debra J Carr |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X211011619 |
| Published date | 01 September 2022 |
| Date | 01 September 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
The effect of underwired
and sports bras on breast
shape, key anthropometric
dimensions, and body
armour comfort
Chris Malbon
Centre for Defence Engineering, Cranfield University, Defence Academy
of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, Wiltshire, UK
Clare Knock
Centre for Defence Engineering, Cranfield University, Defence Academy
of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, Wiltshire, UK
Richard Critchley
Centre for Defence Engineering, Cranfield University, Defence Academy
of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, Wiltshire, UK; Engineering, Design
and Mathematics, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Debra J Carr
Centre for Defence Engineering, Cranfield University, Defence Academy
of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, Wiltshire, UK; Defence and Security
Accelerator, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK
Abstract
This study follows on previous research which investigated the comfort and types of
bras worn by UK female police officers when wearing body armour and performing
typical activities. This controlled study involved a cohort of 31 female police officers and
investigated three main areas. Firstly the effect of professional bra fitting on size and
Corresponding author:
Chris Malbon, Centre for Defence Engineering, Cranfield University, Defence Academy of the United
Kingdom, Shrivenham, Wiltshire SN6 8LA, UK.
Email: chris.malbon@cranfield.ac.uk
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
ªThe Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/0032258X211011619
journals.sagepub.com/home/pjx
2022, Vol. 95(3) 436–458
Malbon et al. 437
comfort, secondly the effect of wearing an underwired bra or a sports bra on comfort
and ability to perform certain actions, and thirdly the effect of an underwired bra and
sports bra on key anthropometric data in relation to the fitting of body armour.
Keywords
Underwired bra, sports bra, anthropometric chest measurements, professional bra fit-
ting, female body armour
Highlights
77%of participants were resized for an underwired bra and 87%for a sports bra
Cup size or under bust measurement does not influence where participants iden-
tified areas of rubbing and/or discomfort when wearing body armour
Bust to bust length, chest circumference and bust prominence are all statistically
significantly greater for an underwired bra than a sports bra
71%of participants identified that when wearing a body armour, they will now be
wearing a sports bra
Introduction
A previous study identified that within the Police service of England and Wales, female
police officers wore a range of bras under body armour, with the predominant types
being underwired and sports bras (Malbon et al., 2020). This paper further investigates
the effects of both underwired and sports bra on comfort and fit of body armour for
female police officers within a controlled group of serving female police officers.
Literature review
Within the Police service of England and Wales, female police officers make up 33%of
the work force and are routinely issued with ballistic and/or knife resistant body armour
suitable for their role (Home Office, 2019a). This body armour can be from a variety of
suppliers and designs dependent upon individual police forces. However, all body
armours supplied have been tested against and comply to the minimum performance
specification defined in the UK Home Office standard for body armour (Payne et al.,
2017). This standard includes several tests specific to body armour designed for a female
form (known as formed armour).
Previous work has demonstrated that female police officers found body armour
uncomfortable to wear, particularly around the breast area, and some actions such as
self-defence techniques and driving a car were difficult to perform (Malbon et al., 2020).
An investigation into female British soldiers wearing the OSPREY armour system,
reported similar findings (Davis et al., 2020). This study identified that female soldiers
experienced challenges in carrying out basic movements and being able to access per-
sonnel equipment worn on the person. However, they identified that OSPREY armour
was originally sized based on male anthropometric data and was therefore not idealised
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