Influence of Shoe Characteristics on the Development of Valgus Foot in Children

The Application of Neoprene Diving Boots in Reduction of Feet Injuries in the Sowing Process Among the Rice Farmers in Thailand

Foot injuries have been a problem among Thai farmers for a long time. The sowing process is one of the high-risk processes because farmers have to walk in the field to spray rice seed without footwear. Literature review showed that cuts from stepping on sharp material or snail shells were major sources of injury. Traditional footwear such as Ninja shoes or cloth socks have raised the questions regarding their ability in protection from such injuries. This study investigates using Neoprene diving boots to protect from foot injuries during the rice sowing process. The sample from this study were farmers from Sena District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. 29 farmer wearing Neoprene diving boots, 7 farmers wearing traditional Ninja shoes, and 19 farmers wearing cloth socks were asked to work in the sowing process and interviewed about any foot injuries that may have occurred. The statistical test showed there were no significant differences in characteristics among each group of farmers, except for work experience. The results show that there were no foot injuries in farmers wearing Neoprene diving boots, whereas 73% of farmers wearing Ninja shoes, and 14% of farmers wearing cloth socks still had foot injuries. Most injuries were alaceration that were caused by the golden apple snail. The satisfaction survey showed that farmers were satisfied and strongly satisfied with all of the aesthetics, utilization, and functionality factors. This study suggested that the Neoprene diving boots can be recommended for farmers to use as safeguarding against foot injuries in the rice sowing process.

Foot Structure of Girls and Boys in the Final Stage of Early Childhood Taking into Account the Half-Yearly Age Ranges

The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of foot structure in girls and boys in the final stage of early childhood, taking into account the half-yearly age ranges. The study was carried out among 800 children aged 3. The research tool was the podoscope CQ-ST. The collected research results were analyzed with the use of Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Statistically significant sex differences in the length of the right and left foot, the width of the right and left foot and Clarke's angle of the right and left foot in each of the identified age groups were found. There were statistically significant differences in the length of the right and left foot, the width of the right and left foot, and the Clarke's angle of the right and left foot were noted separately in girls and boys. Sexual dimorphism in foot length, foot width, and Clarke's angle occurs in 3-year-old children. In each of the age groups, boys are characterized by longer and wider, and lower arched right and left foot. Characteristic features differentiating children in the 1st and 2nd age group are foot length, foot width and Clarke's angle. Girls and boys in the 2nd age group have longer and wider, and higher arched right and left feet. This indicates a high dynamic of increases in the value of these features.

Impact of length and width of footwear on foot structure of preschool-aged children

Background

Due to the dynamics of developmental changes, the preschool age is of crucial importance for the later health and efficiency of the feet. The aim of this study was the analysis of the fitting of indoor footwear and its impact on the features of the foot structure in 6-year-old children.

Methods

The study group consisted of 100 children, including 50 girls and 50 boys at the age of 6 years. The applied device was the CQ-ST podoscope and the Clevermess. The data were analyzed based on Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test and regression analysis.

Results

About 60% of children wore correctly fitted shoes in terms of length and width. Multiple regression models with two variables explaining the variance of the Clarke's angle were statistically significant for girls (right foot: p < 0.001 and left foot: p = 0.009), and boys (right foot: p < 0.001 and left foot: p < 0.001). The influence of predictive variables on the values of the heel angle (γ) was statistically significant for girls (right foot: p < 0.001 and left foot: p < 0.001) and boys (right foot p < 0.001 and left foot: p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Both in the case of girls and boys, the frequency of using too long and too wide shoes was higher in relation to the frequency of using too short and too narrow shoes. The length and width of the shoes affected the length and width of the footwear both in girls and boys. The longer and wider the shoes, the lower the height of the arch. Longer shoes are accompanied by a greater transverse arch, and wider ones with a lower transverse arch of the foot.

Children should be seen and also heard: an explorative qualitative study into the influences on children's choice of footwear, their perception of comfort and the language they use to describe footwear experiences

BACKGROUND

Footwear has an essential role including protection of the feet, overall performance, foot health and potentially, supporting normal development of the foot. In addition to these physical aspects which may influence choice of footwear design, there are psychological influences on what a person chooses to wear. The concept of footwear 'comfort' spans physical and psychological perceptions of comfort in adults. However, there is little understanding of what influences children's footwear choices, how children perceive footwear comfort, or the language used to describe footwear experiences. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these three parameters as the first step to informing the development of a scale to measure footwear comfort in children.

METHODS

A pragmatic qualitative design with thematic analysis as an analytical approach was implemented. Passive observation and short interviews were carried out with 23 children (aged 1-12 years) at a footwear manufactures headquarters and store. Prompts included shoes being tried on and field-notes were taken relating to verbal and non-verbal communication. Field notes were coded then themes were identified, reviewed and named.

RESULTS

Overall, the children equated comfort to softness. However, influences on footwear choice were multidimensional including aesthetics, psychosocial influences, identified 'comfort' and 'discomfort' areas, practical issues and predictive concerns; all interacting with the age of the child.

CONCLUSIONS

For children, footwear comfort is a complex phenomenon having physical, cognitive, social and emotional developmental components. This can be seen in how the children perceive the 'feel' of the shoe and how the shoe is assessed in the context of how the shoe meets the child's physical and psychosocial developmental needs. In younger children footwear preference is related to idiosyncratic tastes in aesthetics, physical ability and comfort. As children age, societal influences begin to expand the social function of footwear denoting group membership, to include themes that transcend the functional and social function of footwear. The knowledge from this study can inform the development of age group specific tools to evaluate comfort.

The impact of functional excess of footwear on the foot shape of 7-year-old girls and boys

Background

Properly fitted shoes can support the development of growing feet and prevent problems and pathologies, not only in childhood, but also in adulthood. This points to the need to conduct research on the impact of shoe fitting on the structure of the foot in order to raise awareness and importance of this problem, to enable proper decisions regarding the purchase and use of shoes. The aim of this study was to analyze indoor footwear fit and its impact on foot structure in 7-year-old schoolchildren.

Methods

The CQ-ST podoscope and the Clevermess device were used for measurements. The analysis was carried out using the Mann Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Chi-square test, regression analysis.

Results

About 40% of girls and boys had shoes that were incorrectly fitted in length, while as many as 74% of girls and 66% of boys wore shoes that were incorrectly fitted in width. Regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant influence of the footwear length on longitudinal arch of the right and left foot and the transverse arch of the right foot. In boys, the length of the shoes shows associations with the right and left hallux valgus angle.

Conclusion

A significant percentage of the studied 7-year-olds, regardless of gender, wears inappropriately fitted shoes. In both sexes, the length of the footwear influenced the longitudinal arch of the right and left foot and the transverse arch of the right foot. Due to the deformity of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, the boys with hallux valgus require footwear which is wider and therefore their shoes need to be bigger in size.

Flatfoot and associated factors among Ethiopian school children aged 11 to 15 years: A school-based study

BACKGROUND

The Foot health of a child plays a pivotal role in their participation in play, locomotive activities, healthy lifestyle, somatic development, and weight management. The burden of flatfoot among children in Ethiopia is not known. The objective of this study was to analyze the structure of the medial foot arch using Staheli plantar arch index and investigate its associated factors among larger sample school children, aged 11-15 years in Ethiopia.

METHODS

A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 11-15 years from eleven randomly selected primary schools. The sample size was determined proportionally across school strength and governmental and private schools to ensure variety within the sample. Data collection consisted of physical measurements, footprint-based measures whilst full weight-bearing, and a structured questionnaire on foot pain, footwear type, and physical activity. Data were analyzed descriptively and through uni- and multivariate logistic regression model.

RESULTS

A total of 823 children participated. The overall prevalence of flatfoot was 17.6% with a significant difference between age, gender, type of school, BMI, and type of footwear. Being younger (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.6-6.7), male (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.4), experiencing foot pain (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0-3.5), wearing closed shoe (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.6-11.9), overweight (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2-8.7), obese (OR 4.2, 95% CI 2.5-10.9), and low level of physical activity (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.0-4.6) were significantly associated with flatfoot. Children who were overweight, obese, and also experiencing foot pain have a 2.8 (95% CI 1.62-5.94) and 4.1 (95% CI 2.85-8.31) times greater chance of having flatfoot respectively. The prevalence of flatfoot among 560 normal weight children was 17.5%.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study demonstrated that the overall prevalence and the prevalence of flatfoot among normal-weight children are almost the same. There is a definite need to develop a screening algorithm for diagnosis and treatment indication for this children's lower extremity disorder.