Sports Bra Preferences by Age and Impact of Breast Size on Physical Activity among American Females.

Katherine H Rizzone,Courtney Marie Cora Jones,Bianca Edison,Paige Cassidy,Cordelia Carter,Nailah Coleman,Ingrid Ichesco,Jane Chung

doi:10.3390/ijerph182312732

Abstract

For many females, sports bras are an essential piece of equipment for participation in sports and physical activity. Breast pain or discomfort from lack of support may be a contributing factor to the noted gender disparity in physical activity of females compared to males. Our objective was to evaluate sports bra usage and characterize sports bra preferences of an active female cohort. This multicenter cross-sectional survey study was conducted at five geographically distinct academic centers. Our measure was administered during outpatient sports medicine clinic visits to females aged 11–64 years old. Chi-square tests were used to compare characteristics across subgroups. Our analysis consisted of 438 respondents, with a mean age of 22 ± 12.2 years. More than a quarter (27.4%) reported lack of breast support prevented them from being active or exercising. Age (p = 0.03), breast size (p < 0.0001), and household income (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with greater frequency of physical activity being limited by lack of breast support. Lack of breast support may be an important barrier for young females of specific populations to meeting physical activity recommendations. Further research is needed to improve the understanding of this important piece of sporting equipment for women.

Highlights

Since the passage of Title IX almost 50 years ago, the number of women participating in sports has dramatically increased at the scholastic, collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The sports bra needs to be regarded as an essential piece of sporting equipment, as many females need to wear one to be able to participate comfortably in sport and physical activity
Breast size/regular bra cup size varied by age (p < 0.0001), with adult participants having larger sizes compared to younger participants (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Since the passage of Title IX almost 50 years ago, the number of women participating in sports has dramatically increased at the scholastic, collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels [1,2,3,4,5,6]. With increasing female participation and gender parity in a greater variety of sports, the nuanced needs of female athletes, including specific equipment requirements, are becoming part of a larger sports medicine conversation. Sports bras are infrequently part of the equipment dialogue. The sports bra needs to be regarded as an essential piece of sporting equipment, as many females need to wear one to be able to participate comfortably in sport and physical activity.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion