Associations between body mass index and interface pressure after 3 h loading in healthy adults

Abstract

Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between body mass index and interface pressure after 3 h loading in healthy adults and to establish a foundation for the development of interventions tailored to body mass index. Material and methods: A secondary data analysis based on a clinical trial involving 75 adults was conducted. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated measure ANOVA, and ANCOVA. The statistics program IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 was used for data analysis. Results: Loading caused a significant increase in average pressure in the obesity group compared to the underweight group. There was a significant increase in risk area ratio calculated based on 30 mmHg and 45 mmHg in both obesity and overweight groups compared to the underweight group. On both support surfaces, average pressure, peak pressure, and risk area ratio were higher in the obese group compared to the normal weight group. However, these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Given the emphasized risk of pressure injuries, long-term observation of body mass index-specific changes in interface pressure can provide crucial evidence for pressure injury prevention nursing. The results of this study suggest the need to implement pressure injury prevention interventions that consider the pressure characteristics according to BMI.