Clothing and individual equipment for the female soldier: developing a framework to improve the evidence base which informs future design and evaluation

BMJ Mil Health. 2024 Aug 28:e002735. doi: 10.1136/military-2024-002735. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

The development of inclusive equipment and clothing is a priority across national defence departments that are part of The Technical Cooperation Programme. As such, a collaborative effort has been established to inform the development of clothing and equipment for women. This invited review provides an overview of an ongoing collaborative project presented at the sixth International Congress on Soldiers Physical Performance. The purpose of this review was to summarise the outputs of scoping work conducted to inform the direction of future research programmes. The scoping work has recommended a framework, which includes improved objective metrics for assessment, standardised methods to characterise study participants and improved methods for characterising the system being evaluated. The longer-term research project aims to implement the framework so that the design of future equipment and clothing is optimised for all end users.

Keywords: Anatomy; Musculoskeletal disorders; Physiology.

Publication types

  • Review