Abstract
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a spinal disorder that commonly occurs during puberty in teenagers, characterized by a deformity of spinal curvature that can be initially observed through a poor physical profile and upper torso pain. Brace treatment is considered a primary method to realign the spine by applying external force at the curve’s apex, addressing the abnormality of spinal curves. Boston Brace offers a tailored fit for AIS undergoing prolonged treatment. However, the brace has disadvantages, including bulkiness, lack of breath ability, and rigidity. This often induce undesirable sensory discomfort and may reduce the user’s willingness to undergo treatment, leading to lower wear compliance. To address this, functional undergarments are advocated to enhance tactile and thermal comfort, as they alleviate skin irritation and are easy to maintain. Hence, this study was conducted to generate ergonomic design ideas for functional undergarments specifically designed for AIS teenagers through a design thinking workshop. The collaborative design process helps boost creativity and critical thinking with the feedback of different stakeholders, making the efficacy and feasibility of ideas more reliable for actual users. Eight participants, including AIS participants and their parents, were recruited to join the workshop and share their perspectives. The significant factors affecting wear compliance, behaviour, and design attributes will be initially revealed. The limitations and further development of the study will also be discussed for improvement.
Keywords
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; Functional undergarments; Brace compliance; Co-design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.56
Citation
Yu, H.T., Zhang, J., Law, D.,and Yip, J.(2025) Co-designing functional undergarments to enhance wear compliance in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.56
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 9 - Healthcare Design
Co-designing functional undergarments to enhance wear compliance in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a spinal disorder that commonly occurs during puberty in teenagers, characterized by a deformity of spinal curvature that can be initially observed through a poor physical profile and upper torso pain. Brace treatment is considered a primary method to realign the spine by applying external force at the curve’s apex, addressing the abnormality of spinal curves. Boston Brace offers a tailored fit for AIS undergoing prolonged treatment. However, the brace has disadvantages, including bulkiness, lack of breath ability, and rigidity. This often induce undesirable sensory discomfort and may reduce the user’s willingness to undergo treatment, leading to lower wear compliance. To address this, functional undergarments are advocated to enhance tactile and thermal comfort, as they alleviate skin irritation and are easy to maintain. Hence, this study was conducted to generate ergonomic design ideas for functional undergarments specifically designed for AIS teenagers through a design thinking workshop. The collaborative design process helps boost creativity and critical thinking with the feedback of different stakeholders, making the efficacy and feasibility of ideas more reliable for actual users. Eight participants, including AIS participants and their parents, were recruited to join the workshop and share their perspectives. The significant factors affecting wear compliance, behaviour, and design attributes will be initially revealed. The limitations and further development of the study will also be discussed for improvement.