Body image and brace wear adherence: preliminary results from brAIST

There were no differences between subjects in the least adherent group and the most adherent group at baseline (n=36 and 95, respectively) or at any follow-up visits regarding BMI, largest Cobb angle, quality-of-life, and body image. Conclusions Findings from this study do not support previous research indicating that wearing a brace may have a negative impact on body image, which could ultimately lead to poor brace wear adherence. In fact, this study found no difference in body image between the least adherent and the most adherent brace wear groups at any follow-up visit up to 2 years. Further analysis is being conducted to assess relationships between body image, quality-of-life, and demographic and clinical variables within brace wear adherence groups.