Correlation between the footwear worn by school-age children and morphological structure of the foot

Introduction
Any ill-fitting footwear may contribute to causing foot deformities in children, whilst exposing them to an undue risk of sustaining accidental injuries, and promote incorrect postural development in the long run.

Aim of the research
This study aimed to probe the association between the fit of the footwear actually worn by school-age children and the morphological structure of their feet.

Material and methods
The study group consisted of 1225 school-age children, stratified by gender and age. The morphological structure of the plantar part of the foot in static conditions was assessed with the aid of a 2D podoscan. The key variables determining the foot indicators were considered. The sizes of the footwear actually worn by the subjects were compared against the referential ones, based on the length of the foot.

Results
Linear dependence was established between the size of the footwear actually worn by the children and the referential one, as recommended by the podoscope readout. The assessment of footwear fit revealed to be determined by gender.

Conclusions
Over 50% of children were found to wear the ill-fitting footwear in terms of shoe length. It can be seen that the general trend for children is to wear one size larger footwear than their foot length would suggest. Parents should primarily take into account the actual type of the foot and the fast rate of its lengthwise growth when selecting and purchasing the footwear for their children, with a view to ensuring that their feet would be provided with the right conditions for proper growth and development.