TY - JOUR PY - 2007// TI - How satisfied are soldiers with their ballistic helmets? A comparison of soldiers' opinions about the advanced combat helmet and the personal armor system for ground troops helmet JO - Military medicine A1 - Ivins, Brian J. A1 - Schwab, K. A. A1 - Crowley, J. S. A1 - McEntire, B. J. A1 - Trumble, Christopher C. A1 - Brown, Fred H. Jr A1 - Warden, Deborah L. SP - 586 EP - 591 VL - 172 IS - 6 N2 - Many factors are considered during ballistic helmet design, including comfort, weight, fit, and maintainability. These factors affect soldiers' decisions about helmet use; therefore, rigorous research about soldiers' real-life experiences with helmets is critical to assessing a helmet's overall protective efficacy. This study compared soldiers' satisfaction and problem experience with the advanced combat helmet (ACH) and the personal armor system for ground troops (PASGT) helmet. Data were obtained from surveys of soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Ninety percent of ACH users were satisfied overall with their helmet, but only 9.5% of PASGT users were satisfied (p < 0.001). The most frequently reported problems for the ACH involved malfunctioning helmet parts. The most frequently reported problems for the PASGT involved discomfort. This analysis indicated that there was a strong soldier preference for the ACH over the PASGT, which could enhance its already superior protective qualities. It also demonstrated the usefulness of soldiers' assessments of protective equipment.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0026-4075 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -