Doctoral Degrees (Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/105282

Browse

Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine) by Author "De Villiers, Johanna Elsabe"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Growing feet : foot metrics and shoe fit in South African school-aged children and adolescents
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) De Villiers, Johanna Elsabe; Venter, Ranel; Zech, Astrid; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Sport Science
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The foot undergoes numerous developmental changes during the first few years of life. Due to this continued development of the foot during childhood, it leaves the feet of children exposed to external influences. Factors such as age, gender and footwear can have a significant impact on the development of the foot. The primary aim of the study was to investigate whether the foot metrics of South African children and adolescents are influenced by age, gender, race and body mass index (BMI). A secondary aim of this study was to establish if South African children and adolescents wear well-fitting shoes. A total of 568 children and adolescents between the ages of six and eighteen years from schools within the Western Cape, South Africa, participated in the study. Static foot length and width were measured with a self-manufactured calliper and school shoe length and width were measured with a flexible straw and sliding calliper respectively. Shoe fit was determined by the difference between the width of the foot and the width of the shoe as well as the difference between the length of the shoe and the length of the foot. A toe allowance was also considered. Dynamic arch index (AI) was measured by using the Emed c50 pressure plate (Novel GmbH, Munich, Germany). The effect of age, gender, race, and BMI on foot length, width and dynamic AI was evaluated, as well as its effect on the shoe fit. Statistical analyses were done by using the one-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA with Fisher’s least significant differences as post-hoc test, as well as its effect on the shoe fit. Cohen’s effect size (ES) for each parameter was calculated to determine practical differences. Gender and race significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the foot length and width of children and adolescents. Girls had shorter and narrower feet than boys. The girls showed no significant increase in foot length and width measurements after 12 years of age. White children had significantly (p < 0.05) and medium practically longer and wider feet, and a lower AI (p < 0.05) than the brown children and adolescents. Statistically (p < 0.05) and practically significant differences in foot length, width and AI were found between the different BMI categories. Furthermore, results show that 67 percent of the children and adolescents wore ill-fitting shoes when looking at the length of school shoes compared to the length of the feet, taking toe allowance into account. There was a significant difference in shoe fit for the width between genders, with girls wearing more tight fitting shoes than boys. Significant differences were seen in the shoe fit for length measurements between the different races, where the brown children’s shoes were a tighter fit than the white children’s shoes. The obese South African children have worn shoes that were too narrow for their feet.