Dekker, L.W. (Lukas) (2019) Effects of personal protective clothing and equipment bulk and stiffness on maneuverability and internal load in confined spaces of military soldiers. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background Personal protective clothing and equipment (PPCE) can diminish soldiers’ mobility, which can lead to performance decreases and higher susceptibility to enemy fire. PPCE’s effects on maneuverability in confined spaces (MCS) are unknown. As confined spaces are increasingly occurrent in warfare, knowledge about such effects is relevant for military forces. Aim To investigate the effects of PPCE bulk and stiffness on MCS and internal load in military soldiers. Methods Eleven male military soldiers in training (age 17.3 ± 0.9 years) performed MCS tests on a confined space obstacle while wearing five different PPCE configurations: a control condition with no added bulk or stiffness, moderate-bulk, high-bulk, moderate-stiffness and high-stiffness. MCS performance (measured as completion time in seconds), perception of the PPCE configurations (measured using a standardized questionnaire) and internal load (measured as heart rate and rate of perceived exertion) were compared between the different conditions. Results MCS performance was significantly lower for only the high-bulk condition (32.20 ± 9.27 sec) compared to the control condition (20.84 ± 4.54 sec). For both the moderate and high-bulk conditions, perceived PPCE bulk, stiffness and maneuverability were rated significantly less acceptable compared to the control. Perceived stiffness and maneuverability were only less acceptable for the high-stiffness condition compared to the control. High-bulk showed a significantly lower internal load than the control condition, but only for rate of perceived exertion. Conclusions The results of this study showed that added PPCE bulk decreases MCS but added stiffness does not. Neither bulk nor stiffness affect the internal load. Keywords Military personnel • Urban environment • Protective clothing • Mobility • Physical exertion
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Brink, dr. M.S. and Catoire, M. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 20 May 2022 14:27 |
| Last Modified: | 20 May 2022 14:27 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3402 |
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