title: Scoliosis brace design: influence of visual aesthetics on user acceptance and compliance.
abstract: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a common condition found in adolescents. A rigid brace is often prescribed as the treatment for this spinal deformity, which negatively affects user compliance due to the discomfort caused by the brace, and the psychological distress resulting from its appearance. However, the latter, which is the impact of visual aesthetics, has not been thoroughly studied for scoliosis braces. Therefore, a qualitative study with in-depth interviews has been carried out with 10 participants who have a Cobb angle of 20°-30° to determine the impact of visual aesthetics on user acceptance and compliance towards the brace. It is found that co-designing with patients on the aesthetic aspects of the surface design of the brace increases the level of user compliance and induces positive user perception. Therefore, aesthetic preferences need to be taken into consideration in the design process of braces. Practitioner Summary: The impact of visual aesthetics on user acceptance and compliance towards a rigid brace for scoliosis is investigated. The findings indicate that an aesthetically pleasing brace and the involvement of patients in the design process of the brace are important for increasing user compliance and addressing psychological issues during treatment.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Kowloon , Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Derry
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Law
authors.affiliation: b Department of Social Work , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , New Territories , Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Mei-Chun
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Kowloon , Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Kowloon , Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kit-Lun
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Yick
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Kowloon , Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001915:Braces; D002648:Child; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000523:psychology*; D004954:Esthetics / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aesthetics; compliance; design; scoliosis