Metabolic rate and muscle activation level when wearing state-of-the-art cold-weather protective clothing during level and inclined walking

Julie Renberg; Maren Trones Christiansen; Øystein Nordrum Wiggen; Karin Roeleveld; Ellen Marie Bardal; Randi Eidsmo Reinertsen

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102956

Metabolic rate and muscle activation level when wearing state-of-the-art cold-weather protective clothing during level and inclined walking

Appl Ergon. 2020 Jan:82:102956. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102956. Epub 2019 Sep 19.

Authors

Julie Renberg¹, Maren Trones Christiansen², Øystein Nordrum Wiggen³, Karin Roeleveld⁴, Ellen Marie Bardal⁵, Randi Eidsmo Reinertsen⁶

Affiliations

¹ SINTEF Digital, Department of Health Research, P.O. Box 4760, Torgarden, N-7465, Trondheim, Norway; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Biology, NTNU, Faculty of Natural Sciences, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: julie.renberg@sintef.no.
² Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Biology, NTNU, Faculty of Natural Sciences, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: maren.t.christiansen@hotmail.com.
³ SINTEF Digital, Department of Health Research, P.O. Box 4760, Torgarden, N-7465, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: oystein.wiggen@sintef.no.
⁴ Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU, Faculty of Medicine and Heath Sciences, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: karin.roeleveld@ntnu.no.
⁵ Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU, Faculty of Medicine and Heath Sciences, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: ellen.bardal@ntnu.no.
⁶ SINTEF Digital, Department of Health Research, P.O. Box 4760, Torgarden, N-7465, Trondheim, Norway; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Biology, NTNU, Faculty of Natural Sciences, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: randi.e.reinertsen@sintef.no.

PMID: 31542574
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102956

Abstract

Use of cold-weather personal protective clothing (PPC) in cold climates is essential but can add metabolic cost to the wearer. This study measured the effect of wearing state-of-the-art PPC and personal protective equipment (PPE), with the possible effect of clothing layers and fit, on physiological responses including metabolic rate (MR) and muscle activation level. 19 male participants (80.2 ± 5.9 kg, 181.5 ± 5.1 cm) wore five different clothing ensembles during level (0°) and inclined (6°) walking. Compared to a base layer ensemble (388.7 ± 42.7 W/737.8 ± 57.9 W), wearing a 3-layer PPC ensemble (421.5 ± 44.7 W/811.7 ± 69.2 W) significantly increased MR, and adding PPE (458.3 ± 59.8 W/864.5 ± 71.2 W) further increased MR during level/inclined walking. Independent of the extra weight, adding a middle layer between base layer and outer clothing significantly increased MR during inclined walking only, and no effect of oversized outer clothing was measured.

Keywords: Electromyography; Gross efficiency; Personal protective equipment.

MeSH terms

Basal Metabolism / physiology*
Cold Temperature*
Electromyography
Heart Rate / physiology
Humans
Male
Muscle, Skeletal / physiology*
Norway
Oxygen Consumption / physiology
Protective Clothing*
Walking / physiology*
Young Adult