Incorporation of human body fat percentage for calculation of compression garment patterns

This paper presents the development of a parametric pattern system, implementing textile fabric properties and the wearer’s body tissue softness to achieve defined pressure levels in calf compression sleeves. The study addresses the mechanical interactions between the wearer’s soft tissue as well as the textile properties and accounts for this by calculating the stretch and shrinkage factors of the textile. In addition, the formula incorporates body fat percentage within three different body mass index (BMI) classes to comprehensively investigate the effects of pressure on different quantities of soft tissue and body composition. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how these factors combine to influence the effect of pressure through compression textiles on varying levels of soft tissue in relation to the human anatomy. The results show that the inclusion of a newly developed adaption factor based on body fat percentage leads to a significantly more precise achievement of a defined pressure, especially in subjects with low body fat.