Clothing-Related Risk Perceptions of Disabled People

ABSTRACT - Wheelchair-bound consumers face special clothing-related problems in dressing, in comfort, and in appearance. The risks which these disabled consumers perceive in buying clothing were examined along the physical, performance, psychological, economic, and social dimensions. Physical risk was rated as the highest clothing-related risk dimension, followed,in order, by the performance, psychological, economic, and social dimensions. The relative positions of physical and social risk were the reverse of what had been reported in earlier studies of able-bodied consumers. Only the performance and social risk dimensions were significantly correlated with an overall risk measure. Collectively, all the dimensions explained only 12% (n.s.) of the variance in overall risk. The highest interdimensional correlation was between economic and performance risk. Those with congenital disabilities perceived greater overall risk than those who had acquire their disabilities.

Citation:

Paula Bounds-O'Bannon, Betty Feather, and John W. Vann (1986) ,"Clothing-Related Risk Perceptions of Disabled People", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, eds. Richard J. Lutz, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 662.

Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, 1986      Page 662

CLOTHING-RELATED RISK PERCEPTIONS OF DISABLED PEOPLE

Paula Bounds-O'Bannon, K-Mart, Incorporated

Betty Feather, University of Missouri-Columbia

John W. Vann, University of Missouri-Columbia

ABSTRACT -

Wheelchair-bound consumers face special clothing-related problems in dressing, in comfort, and in appearance. The risks which these disabled consumers perceive in buying clothing were examined along the physical, performance, psychological, economic, and social dimensions. Physical risk was rated as the highest clothing-related risk dimension, followed,in order, by the performance, psychological, economic, and social dimensions. The relative positions of physical and social risk were the reverse of what had been reported in earlier studies of able-bodied consumers. Only the performance and social risk dimensions were significantly correlated with an overall risk measure. Collectively, all the dimensions explained only 12% (n.s.) of the variance in overall risk. The highest interdimensional correlation was between economic and performance risk. Those with congenital disabilities perceived greater overall risk than those who had acquire their disabilities.

For further information, write to:

John W. Vann / Middlebush Hall / University of Missouri-Columbia / Columbia, MO 65211

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