Sports Bra Preferences by Age and Impact of Breast Size on Physical Activity among American Females

Abstract

For many females, sports bras are an essential piece of equipment for participation in sports and physical activity. Breast pain or discomfort from lack of support may be a contributing factor to the noted gender disparity in physical activity of females compared to males. Our objective was to evaluate sports bra usage and characterize sports bra preferences of an active female cohort. This multicenter cross-sectional survey study was conducted at five geographically distinct academic centers. Our measure was administered during outpatient sports medicine clinic visits to females aged 11–64 years old. Chi-square tests were used to compare characteristics across subgroups. Our analysis consisted of 438 respondents, with a mean age of 22 ± 12.2 years. More than a quarter (27.4%) reported lack of breast support prevented them from being active or exercising. Age (p = 0.03), breast size (p < 0.0001), and household income (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with greater frequency of physical activity being limited by lack of breast support. Lack of breast support may be an important barrier for young females of specific populations to meeting physical activity recommendations. Further research is needed to improve the understanding of this important piece of sporting equipment for women.

Breasts as a perceived barrier to physical activity in Mexican women: A cross-sectional study

“… 37 In addition, a study conducted on 438 women with a mean age of 22 ± 12.2 years from five states in the United States found that breast size prevented women from being physically active. 55 In the present study, women were from three Mexican states and had a similar age, and pain was reported regardless of breast size category. However, breast size was unrelated to PA levels, which also showed higher PA than a UK sample.…”

“…Breast as a research subject related to exercise behavior has recently produced relevant reports, including important information regarding breast pain, breast as a barrier to PA, and bra characteristics in active and the general population. 24 , 34 , 38 , 53 – 55 Breast pain is associated with VPA in European women. 15 In this study, breast pain increased with the menstrual cycle and exercise; however, breast pain and health knowledge were unrelated to levels of PA.…”

The Impact of Breasts and Bras on Physical Activity Amongst Women and Girls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Following title, abstract, and full text screening, 77 articles were eligible for inclusion in our review (Figure 1). 8,[10][11][12][13][14][16][17][18]20,21,26, Reasons for exclusion at the full text level are listed in Table S3, with the most frequent reason for exclusion being the article was not an original research study. S3 and S4 Detailed study information was extracted from the included articles and is listed in Table S3.…”

“…Additionally, only one study reported the household income of participants. 17 Published studies largely took place in Australia, the United Kingdom, or the United States (n = 71, Figure 2C), and included studies mainly focused on nonathletes (n = 62, Figure 2D). Of those that did include athletes, runners were the most commonly studied population (n = 9/17, (two studies included both athletes and non-athletes) Figure 2D).…”

“…16 Similarly, a survey of 438 females in the United States demonstrated that females with larger breasts were significantly more likely to report that concerns of breast support prevented them from participating in physical activity. 17 The impact of large breasts disproportionately affects women who are overweight or obese, and increasing breast size has been found to correlate with a decreasing physical activity cycle, which further contributes to and worsens rates of obesity. 14,18,19,20,21 Therefore, the impact of breasts and bras on physical activity disproportionately affects women and girls with larger breasts and other specific populations.…”