Vivian E. Hogge, Margaret Baer and Jikyeong Kang-Park - Clothing for Elderly and Non-Elderly Men

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Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

DOI: 10.1177/0887302X88006004071988; 6; 47Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

Vivian E. Hogge, Margaret Baer and Jikyeong Kang-ParkFitting Problems

othing for Elderly and Non-Elderly Men: A Comparison of Preferences, Perceived Availability and

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Clothing for Elderly and Non-Elderly Men:A

Comparisonof

Preferences,Perceived

Availability and Fitting Problems

Vivian E. Hogge, Margaret Baer

and Jikyeong Kang-Park

uthorsAddresses: DepartmentofApparel, Interior Design, and Mer-

handising, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.

Abstract

Thepurpose of this study was to compare thepreferences, perceived availability andfittingproblems ofselected

ready-to-wear garmentsfor elderly and non-elderlymen

living in northern Colorado. The participants were 50males, 65 years of age and older, and a contrast group of50 males, 30-50 years of age.A Clothing PreferenceInterview Schedule was developed, adapted from a Clothing Needs of Elderly Women Questionnaire by Hoggeand Baer, to obtain data from the participants. The data from the Interview Schedules were coded and computeranalyzed using the StatisticalPackagefor the Social Sciences. Inferential statistics were computed to investigaterelationships ordifferences that existed between responses of the elderly and non-elderly men. More men from the

elderly than non-elderly group were able tofind garments in theirpreferred sizes and colors in the local stores.Men in both groups expressed various preferences for fiber content of selected clothing items. However, the oldermen had a greater acceptance ofman-made fibers. The common fittingproblem ofboth groups with shirts and

jackets was sleeve length. When purchasing clothing, the most important factor for both groups was fit. Design/style was ranked as second by the non-elderly and eighth by the elderly men who ranked durability and pricehigher than the non-elderly men did.

More than 28.0 millionAmericans are 65 years ofage and

lder. It is estimated that this group will grow by 300,000 to

400,000 persons per year over the next decade, and by the

year 2000 the total population ofthose over 65 will be morethan 36 million (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1985).With consumers aged 65 and older becoming more

numerous and being an important force in the marketplaceLumpkin, Greenberg, & Goldstucker, 1985), there is aneed to gain more knowledge ofclothing needs and concernsor the elderly residing in the United States.A number of

studies, most ofthem unpublished, have been conducted toassess some ofthe clothingproblems related to special needsof elderly women (Bratcher, 1972; Hogge & Baer, 1986;Kemaleguen, 1978; Patterson & Warden, 1983-84; Pieper,1968; Richards, 1971; Richardson, 1975; Smathers, 1974;Sontag, 1985; Woodson & Horridge, 1986). Womensfashions change more rapidly; womens wardrobes are

usually larger and more expensive than are mens. Womenalso find it more difficult to satisfy their clothing needs and

are more concerned with the social significance of clothingthan are men (Hoffman, 1970). These factors could explainwhy most research in the clothing area for the elderly hasfocused on womens clothing.

Research related to mens clothing is much less plentiful.Tate and Glisson (1963) noted that elderly men are said to

experience difficulty wearing the same size and style of

clothing and fabrics worn by younger men due to

physiological changes. Trousers for elderly men often needto be increased through the waistline to accommodate a

protruding abdomen and shortened in the back because of

general straightening ofthe posterior. Coats andjackets mayrequire extra length in the upper part of the back toaccommodate the rounded shoulders and stooped posturecharacteristic of the elderly. Coats and jackets also need a

generous waistline. Older men may find tight collarsuncomfortable to wear as a network ofwrinkles forms at the

base of the neck. Because the skin becomes dry, thin, and

inelastic, fabrics used in shirts and undergarments should besoft and non-irritating.Kemaleguen ( 1978) noted that older people complain that

sizes in ready-to-wear clothing are based on standard

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measurements ofyounger people and that the figure changesofthe elderly are not taken into consideration. Woodson and

Horridge (1986) found that the older person can no longer_

wear standard-size, ready-to-wear clothing due to bodyproportion changes. Older people give priority to fit and

style in the selection of clothing, but comfort, price, ease of

care, and warmth are also important factors (Kemaleguen,1978). Grey (1966) pointed out that the most frequentreasons older men gave for liking their clothing wer fit,appearance, comfort, and warmth/coolness. She alsoidentified poor fit as the most important reason for disliking a

garment.Men ranging in age from 19 to 76 years, interviewed by

Margerum, Walker, and Kemaleguen (1977), expresseddissatisfaction with shirts and pants. The problemsmentioned most frequently were fabric durability and

garment construction as well as size and fit. The men were

also troubled with broken stitching and fasteners, inadequateshirttail length, non-standard sizes, and pants that didnot fit.

The elderly care about their clothing and desire to have a

pleasing appearance (Kemaleguen, 1978). They wish to

conform to current fashions (Kemaleguen, 1978) and wantfashion goods of suitable style and size with the option of

returning unsatisfactory apparel (Lumpin et al., 1985) buttend to prefer familiar, traditional styles (Storm, 1987) andlean more to conservatism in dress than do younger peopleirrespective of the locality or climate (Tate & Glisson,

1963). Elderly men are not only interested in the physicalcomfort of their clothing but are also interested in theiroverall general appearance. They enjoy greater freedom indress than they did in their younger years (Horn & Gurel,1981).Because previous research has shown that elderly men

have expressed dissatisfaction with ready-to-wear clothing(Margerum et al., 1977), have difficulty finding items of

apparel they prefer (Kenaleguen, 1978), and wantfashionable styles and correct sizes (Lumpkin et al., 1985),more research is needed to identify the specific clothingpreferences and needs of elderly men and to determine howwell ready-to-wear clothing is currently meeting these

preferences. The purpose of this study was to compare the

clothing preferences ofmen between the ages of 30 and 50with the clothing preferences ofmen over the age of65. Menin these two age groups were also surveyed regarding the

availability and fit of ready-to-wear clothing and theirassessment of selected factors in

purchasinga

garment.

Method

Instrument

A Clothing Preference Interview Schedule was developedto provide a variety of data to enhance knowledge of the

preferences for clothing expressed by elderly men.

Questions for the instrument were adapted from a ClothingNeeds ofElderly Women Questionnaire used by Hogge andBaer (1986).A pretest with a group of six male subjects 65

years old and above and six male subjects 30-50 years of agewas conducted in the fall of 1984. After pretesting and

revision, the Clothing Preference Interview Scheduleconsisted of 151 questions. The first 139 questions were

designed to elicit information about each subjectsbackground, physical limitations, the perceived availabilityof and preferences for ready-to-wear garments, clothingcomfort, and general fitting problems. Theses questionswere objective with appropriate blanks to be checked by theinterviewer. In the last section of the Interview Schedule,respondents were asked to rate from ( 1 ) not important to (5)very important 11 selected garment factors considered in

purchasing a garment. The last question solicited additionalcomments from the participants. Space was provided for theinterviewer to record comments.

SubjectsThe participants in this study consisted of 100 males (50

men 65 and older and 50 between 30 and 50 years of age)residing in northern Colorado. Men between 51 and 64

years ofage were not asked to participate to allow for a moreaccurate comparison between elderly and non-elderly men.Names of the potential participants were obtained from thelist of registered voters, from a local church group, and

through word-of-mouth inquiry.

Procedure

Data used in this study were collected during the winter of1984 and spring of 1985. The Interview Schedules were

administered individually by or under the supervision of the

investigators. The participants were contacted by telephoneor in person to determine a convenient time for a personalvisit. During the 30-40 minute visit, the Interview Schedulewas explained to the participant by the interviewer. Theinterviewer read the questions to the participant and checkedthe appropriate answer on the Interview Schedule. The

participantwas

asked for any additional comments whichwere recorded on the Interview Schedule by the interviewer.The data from the Interview Schedules were coded and

computer analyzed using the Statistical Package for theSocial Sciences (Nie, Hull, Jenkins, Steinbrenner, & Bent,1975). Inferential statistics (i.e., Pearson correlation

coefficients, Kendalls correlation coefficients, chi squares,and t values) were computed to investigate relationships ordifferences that existed between elderly (65 years and older)and non-elderly men ( 30-50 years old).

Results and Discussion

An analysis of the demographic data revealed that all ofthe younger men in this study were employed. Only four

percent ofthe older men were employed and the remainderwere retired. More than 90 percent ofthe younger men and

44 percent of the older men had annual incomes of over

$20,000. Most of the men lived in their own homes or

apartments; none ofthe men lived in a nursing home. Five of

the older men said they had arthritis, a condition that would

affect the clothing they wear.

Availability of Size and Color

Specific survey questions requested responses concerning



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he availability of seven ready-to-wear garments (overcoats,ress suits, dress shirts, casual jackets, casual slacks, casualhirts and sweaters). Table 1 shows that the overwhelmingajority of men of both age groups thought that their

referred sizes and colors were available. In general, moremen from the older group than from the younger age groupnswered &dquo;yes&dquo; when asked whether garments in the sizes

hey wear were available in their local stores. Two of theeven clothing items, overcoats and sweaters, showed

ignificant correlations between availability ofpreferred sizend age group (see Table 1).A significant positiveorrelation means that the older men thought they were more

ikely to find garments of the size they wear in stores than

ounger men would.

As in the case of the preferred size, more men from thelder age group than men from the younger age groupnswered &dquo;yes&dquo; when asked whether garments in the colors

hey preferred were available in their local stores. Two oftheeven items surveyed, overcoats and dress suits, showed

ignificant correlations between availability of preferredolor and age group.These results seem counter to what

mighthave been

xpected given the information about older mens physio-ogical changes and conservative, traditional style pre-erences. Possibly, fewer older men had complaints about

vailability of size and color because they have more time to

hop or because they are less demanding and easier to

lease.Also, local stores may carry the more conservative,raditional styles preferred by the older men.

Design FeaturesTable 2 shows some significant relationships between

preferred design features of trousers and age groups. Forthese particular variables Kendalls tau c was used.

According to Nie et al. (1975), that statistic is an

appropriate measure of association between two ordinal-level variables in a rectangular table (one in which thenumber of rows differs from the number of columns).A

significant positive relationship was found between pref-erences for trousers with watch pockets with cuffs and agealso between preferences for trousers with cuffs and age

groups. These results are reasonable given that cuffs andwatch pockets were fashionable some years ago but arefound less often today. However, there was a significant

negative relationship between preferences for trousers with

straight legs and age groups. Such a negative correlation

suggests that more men from the younger age group than

from the older group preferred trousers with straightlegs.

Fabric Designs and Fiber ContentsThe respondents were also asked about the most preferred

fabric designs and fiber contents for six different clothingitems. Table 3

presents percentagesof responses and the

results of chi square analyses. The preferred fabric design fordress suits and casual jackets was significantly differentbetween the age groups. Eighty-four percent ofmen from the

younger age group said they preferred solid colors for theirdress suits, compared to only 64 percent of the older men. Itis interesting to note, since the overall appearance of

twentieth-century men is said to be subdued (Horn & Gurel,1981), that 36 percent of men from the older age grouppreferred other types offabric designs, such as prints, plaids,stripes, or checks, for their dress suits.An even more marked

able 1. Relationship* between availability of preferred size or color and age group.

z


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Table 2. Relationship between preferred design features of trousersand age group.

* p


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more older than younger respondents answered &dquo;yes&dquo; when

hey were asked whether their ready-to-wear garments feltcomfortable to wear. This finding appears to be the oppositeof what might have been expected because of the physicalchanges that occur as an individual grows older. Three of sixtems (jackets, trousers, and ties) showed significantcorrelations between comfort and age group. Table 4 shows

he correlation coefficients for those items. It was especially

surprising to fmd that 14 of the men in the younger age group

and only 4 in the older age group said that shirt collarsrritated their necks. This appears to contradict the findingsof Tate and Glisson (1963), who stated that older mensometimes find it uncomfortable to wear tight collarsbecause ofa network ofwrinkles that forms at the base ofthe

neck. The majority ofmen in both groups said a vest was themost uncomfortable clothing item to wear.

Perhaps older men have fewer comfort problems than

expected or can more easily avoid uncomfortable clothingnow that they are retired. They may no longer have to wear abuttoned shirt collar and tie daily. They may also generallywear more comfortable casual clothes.

Fitting ProblemsSince many physical changes (rounded shoulders,

stooped posture, increased waistline, and changes in the

skin) occur as an individual grows older, the participantswere asked if they had fitting problems with ready-to-wearackets and shirts. The most common fitting problems in

ackets ofthe older men were that the sleeves were either too

long or too short and the back width was too narrow.

Participants ofthe younger age group also stated that sleeves

and the jacket length were either too long or too short, the

Table 5. Relationship between fitting problems of ready-to-wearjackets and age group.

_a__8 -....

* p


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52

Table 7. Difference in ratings* of importance of garment properties by age group.

* z


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53

tudy, a more representative sample could be identified and

urveyed using a similar Interview Schedule. Also, a

omparison ofmeasurements ofelderly men and non-elderlymen of the same weight and height could determine what

djustments are necessary in elderly mens clothing for

roper fit. Other studies might identify and compare the

lothing preferences of the &dquo;young old&dquo; (those under 75)ith the &dquo;old old&dquo; (those over 75).

Acknowledgements

unding for this research project was provided by anmerican Home Economics Association Foundation

rant. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Georgeorgan, Head, Department ofApparel, Interior Design,nd Merchandising, for his many helpful comments and

uggestions throughout this project.

References

ratcher, C.J. (1972). Factors affecting clothing utilizationof elderly women. Unpublished masters thesis, Okla-homa Baptist University.

rey, N.C. (1966). Some characteristics associated with themost liked and least liked outer garments in the

wardrobes of people age 65 and over. Unpublishedmasters thesis, Kansas State University.

offman,A.M. (1970). The daily needs and interests ofolder people. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

ogge, V.E., & Baer, M.M. (1986). Elderly womens

clothing:Acquisition, fit, and alterations of ready-to-wear garments. Journal of Consumer Studies andHome

Economics, 10, 333-341.

orn, M., & Gurel, L.M. (1981). The second skin. Boston:

Houghton Mifflin.

ernaleguen,A. (1978). Clothing designs for the handi-

capped. Edmonton,Alberta, Canada: The University ofAlberta Press.

Lumpkin, J.R., Greenberg, B.A., & Goldstucker, J.L.

(1985). Marketplace needs of the elderly: Determinantattributes and store choice. Journal of Retailing, 61, 75-105.

Margerum, B.J., Walker, N.E., & Kernaleguen,A. (1977).Mens clothing practices. Journal of Home Economics,69, 39-40.

Nie, N., Hull, C.H., Jenkins, J.G., Steinbrenner, K., &

Bent, D. (1975). Statistical package for the social

sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill.Patterson, C.A., & Warden, J. (1983-84). Selected body

measurements of women aged sixty-five and older.

Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 2, 23-30.

Pieper,A.U. (1968). Clothing needs of women sixty-fiveand older in Stark County, Ohio. Unpublished masters

thesis, Kent State University.

Richards, J.M. (1971).A study of the clothing needs and

preferences of a selected group of women sixty years of

age and over and their problems in shopping for suitable

clothing. Unpublished masters thesis, University of

Maryland.

Richardson, P.C. (1975). Clothing preferences andproblems ofa selected group ofwomen sixty-five years of

age and over living in Tallahassee, Florida. Unpublishedmasters thesis, Florida State University.

Smathers, D.G. (1974). The effects of physical bodilychanges caused by the natural aging process on clothingpreferences of elderly women. Unpublished masters

thesis, University of Kentucky.Sontag, M.S. (1985). Comfort dimensions of actual and

ideal insulative clothing for older women. Clothing andTextiles Research Journal, 4, 9-17.

Storm, P. (1987).Functions ofdress. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice-Hall.

Tate, M.T., & Glisson, O. (1963). Family clothing. NewYork: John Wiley.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

(1985). Statistical abstract of the United States: 1986.

Washington, DC.

Woodson, E.M., & Horridge, P. (1986). Maturation

changes vs. government sizing standards for women.ACPTC Proceedings: National Meeting, p. 79. Monu-

ment, CO:ACPTC.


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