Clothing interest, leisure activity continuity and their association to clothing fit satisfaction for women 55 years and older

• Main Author: Rainer-Jeanes, Earline
• Other Authors: Clothing and Textiles
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: Virginia Tech 2014
• Subjects: LD5655.V855 1994.R356; Clothing and dress measurements; Clothing and dress > Psychological aspects
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/43626; http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07102009-040413/

In this study, clothing fit concerns of women age 55 years and over will be associated with their level of clothing interest (psychological) and the social setting and frequency of their leisure activities (sociological). Subjects’ body measurements with the body measurements in the PS 40-72 standard for sizing women’s apparel (physiological) will be made. The data will be analyzed to determine indicators of continuity of clothing fit concerns. The objectives for this study were; (a) to identify current apparel fitting problems reported by the respondents; (b) to identify dissimilarity between PS 42-70 sizing standards and respondents reported current size of ready-to-wear dresses; (c) to examine current and recalled clothing interest of the respondents for continuity; (d) to determine the continuity of frequency and social setting of participants’ recalled and current leisure activities; (e) to define the association between satisfaction of apparel fit with current clothing interests and with current leisure activities. The waist, was reported as a fit problem by 67% of the sample. Less than 50% of the sample reporting fit problems reported fit problems at the neck, shoulder, and bust. The younger age group exceeded the older age group by a margin of only 4% for too tight fit at the waist. The younger group reported tight fit for the upper arm and the maximum thigh more often the older group. The difference between the proportional relationship for: the sample and PS 42-70 standard in height and weight, back waist length and front waist length, shoulder to bust point and back of neck to center front waist, and shoulder length and armscye to waist was statistically significant at .001 to .01 for the comparison of the mean ratios. For 13 of 17 selected upper body measurements for size 12, 12 for size 14, and 10 for size 16 there was a significant difference between the subjects measurements and corresponding measures in the PS 42-70 standard. There was no significant difference between current clothing interest levels and recalled clothing interest levels for subjects at ages spanning decades in their twenties and forties. A Duncan’s (MRT) of the solo leisure activities and the group leisure activities show there to be a significant difference across the sample for the subjects in their twenties and forties. The subjects in the over 75 age group results were insignificant for the difference when they were in their sixties. The frequency of current leisure activities was different for the sample in their twenties and sixties. The mean scores for both age periods were not significantly different from the mean for when they were in their forties. There was no association found between clothing interest and satisfaction with apparel fit, between frequency of leisure activity and satisfaction with apparel fit or, between the setting of current leisure activity and satisfaction with apparel fit. === Master of Science