Physique differences and psychophysiological response under clothing pressure using waist belt

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the physique difference and psychophysiological response under clothing pressure by a waist belt. Design/methodology/approach The influences of clothing pressure on physiological and psychological responses were evaluated by the following measurements: functional near-infrared spectroscopy, electrocardiogram and sensory evaluation. The authors investigated the correlation between the anthropometric data and psychophysiological response data. Findings There were significant correlations between body fat and physiological responses. It was suggested that differences in body fat affect changes in cerebral hemodynamics and heart rate due to clothing pressure. It is inferred that the participants having lower body fat reacted more sensitively to the compression stimulus, while those having higher body fat were more tolerant of physiological reactions to compression stimulus. Originality/value This paper has presented the necessity of clothing comfort evaluation considering individual differences in physique due to body fat.