Herontwerp Ballistisch vest voor Vrouwen: Fase 1 (Redesign Ballistic Vest for Women: Phase 1)

In this study, an investigation was made about the experiences with the current ballistic vest. A questionnaire was filled out by fourteen female soldiers consisting of questions about complaints, characteristics of the ballistic vest and the mobility of the combat soldier wearing the ballistic vest. Most of the respondents experienced discomfort in the arm-pit, followed by discomfort in the lower back, the shoulders and on the busts. For the different characteristics of the ballistic vest, the worst score was given for comfort, followed by mobility and thermal strain. The worst mobility wearing the ballistic vest was experienced during sneaking, followed by climbing over obstacles. Optimization of ergonomical aspects of the ballistic vest is expected to result in a reduced detriment in physical performance of female soldiers performing operational tasks and will therefore be recommended.