Many stroke victims suffer hemiplegia, The type and location of appare
l fasteners (e.g. buttons) are important to facilitate dressing for pe
rsons with hemiplegia. This study evaluated a series of garments with
different fastener types and locations using hemiplegic subjects. The
experimental design was a 3x3+1 factorial complete randomized block de
sign with a control. Fastener type and location were independent varia
bles. Dependent variables were: (1) time required to open and close th
e fasteners, (2) number of fasteners opened and closed, (3) and subjec
tive responses to a questionnaire. The subjects for this study were te
n stroke victims with hemiplegia. Results indicated significant differ
ences for fastener type and location. These results should aid apparel
manufacturers to provide more functional apparel for persons with hem
iplegia due to stroke, as well as those responsible for selecting and/
or helping to dress persons with hemiplegia due to stroke. (C) 1997 El
sevier Science Ltd.