Footwear fit in schoolchildren of southern Spain: a population study

María Luisa González Elena, Antonio Córdoba-Fernández, María Luisa González Elena, Antonio Córdoba-Fernández

Abstract

Background: Recent studies support the theory that ill-fitting shoes are an important source of pain and may lead to foot malformations in the medium term. Taking as reference the ideal allowance considered in the literature, the purpose of this study was to verify the outdoor footwear fit in a population of schoolchildren of southern Spain.

Methods: Five hundred and five children within the range of 3-12 years of age participated in this study. Using a measuring instrument designed and validated for this purpose, maximum foot length, width and height were obtained from the longest foot. These measurements were compared with the inner length, width and height of the footwear. An adequate toe allowance of 5-15 mm in length and 10 mm in width were estimated.

Results: Inner footwear length was shorter than foot length in 33.3% of the schoolchildren. Based on the allowance established, it was observed that the footwear of the schoolchildren was too short and too narrow in 72.5 and 66.7% of the cases, respectively.

Conclusions: Only one third of the participants analysed had well-fitted footwear. The results show that it is necessary to raise awareness among parents and teachers about the importance of replacing, periodically, the footwear of children in primary education. Manufacturers should adapt the lasts considering the use of 90th percentiles instead of mean values obtained from the growth curves of schoolchildren's feet.

Keywords: Fit; Foot; Footwear; Schoolchildren.

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Universidad de Sevilla (2013/07/11). Written informed consent was obtained from legal parent or guardian for children.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Acetate sheet placed on a methacrylate base with a calibrated template imprinted for FL and FW measurements
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The image on the left shows acetate transparent insole with the width reference points. The image on the right shows telescopic gauge inside of the footwear
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Telescopic gauges with protractors used to check the footwear fit in height

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