Consumer Behavior

An Examination of Elderly Female Consumers' Body Shapes, Activewear Preferences and Exercise Behavior

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Abstract

Activewear that is currently available on the market may not be appealing to elderly consumers,particularly female consumers, and may discourage them from exercising.Understanding that clothing is directly related to one’s daily lifestyle, it is important to reveal how certain factors affect their behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate body shapes, activewear preferences,and exercise behavior for elderly female consumers. This study employed a quantitative survey method. A questionnaire and images of activewear choices were developed. A total of 242 complete data were used for further descriptive data analyses. We found that most of the elderly female consumers perceived their body shape as apple shape. They predominantly preferred loose fitting short sleeved tops and long pants for activewear. It could be related to modesty as the participants indicated that they wore their activewear for other daily activities as well.

Keywords: body shapes, exercise behavior, Elderly consumers

How to Cite:

Chang, H. J., Yurchisin, J. & Shin, S. H., (2019) “An Examination of Elderly Female Consumers' Body Shapes, Activewear Preferences and Exercise Behavior”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.9481