Dataset Information

Perception of footwear comfort and its relationship with the foot structure among youngest-old women and men

ABSTRACT:

Background

Adequate footwear comfort and functionality are important regardless of age, but they become particularly important in the youngest-old women and men, mainly due to the fact that this age range is the initial period of old age with changes in shoe preferences. The aim of this study was to assess the perception of footwear comfort and its relationship with the feet structure in youngest-old women and men.

Methods

The cross-sectional study covered community dwellers living on their own aged 65–74 years (50 women; 50 men). The feet characteristics were measured using the CQ-ST podoscope (Electronic System, Ltd, EU), and the perception of footwear comfort was assessed with a visual analogue scale. The assessment took into account gender-specific footwear of a certain brand (Befado Dr orto).

Results

Statistically significant intergender differences were observed in the perception of footwear comfort with respect to the shoe heel width (p = 0.022), the arch height (p = 0.013), the overall comfort (p = 0.049) and the material properties of the footwear (p = 0.017). In women, there were statistically significant positive relationships among the heel angle (γ) and the perception of footwear comfort in terms of heel cushioning (p = 0.021), forefoot cushioning (p = 0.015), arch height (p = 0.029). In men, there was a statistically significant negative relationship of the left foot Clarke’s angle with the heel height (p = 0.043), and a positive relationship between the right foot width and the arch height (p = 0.044).

Conclusions

Youngest-old women, compared to men of the same age range, have a higher perception of shoe comfort in terms of the shoe heel width, the arch height, the overall comfort of the footwear and the material properties of the footwear. The appropriate profile and construction of the shoe allows for an increase in the contact surface of the foot with the shoe, hence the improvement in the perception of footwear comfort in people with lowered arch or widened forefoot.

SUBMITTER: Puszczalowska-Lizis E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8532988 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe previous studies on basketball landing have not shown a systematic agreement between landing impacts and midsole densities. One plausible reason is that the midsole densities alone used to represent the cushioning capability of a shoe seems over simplified. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of different landing heights and shoes of different cushioning performance on tibial shock, impact loading and knee kinematics of basketball players.MethodsNineteen university team basketball players performed drop landings from different height conditions (0.45m vs. 0.61m) as well as with different shoe cushioning properties (regular, better vs. best-cushioned). For each condition, tibial acceleration, vertical ground reaction force and knee kinematics were measured with a tri-axial accelerometer, force plate and motion capture system, respectively. Heel comfort perception was indicated on the 150-mm Visual Analogue Scale. A 2 (height) x 3 (footwear) ANOVA with repeated measures was performed to determine the effects of different landing heights and shoe cushioning on the measured parameters.ResultsWe did not find significant interactions between landing height and shoe conditions on tibial shock, impact peak, mean loading rate, maximum knee flexion angle and total ankle range of motion. However, greater tibial shock, impact peak, mean loading rates and total ankle range of motion were determined at a higher landing height (P < 0.01). Regular-cushioned shoes demonstrated significantly greater tibial shock and mean loading rate compared with better- and best-cushioned shoes (P < 0.05). The correlation analysis indicated that the heel comfort perception was fairly associated with impact peak and mean loading rate regardless of heights (P < 0.05), but not associated with tibial shock.ConclusionsDetermination of shoe cushioning performance, regardless of shoe midsole materials and constructions, would be capable in order to identify optimal shoe models for better protection against tibial stress fracture. Subjective comfort rating could estimate the level of impact loading in non-laboratory based situations.

Project description:IntroductionSeveral studies have suggested that physical activity and sedentary behavior are strongly and independently associated with body composition and obesity. However, few studies have investigated whether substituting sedentary time with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with body composition in older adults, especially among those older than 75 years.MethodsThis study examined the associations between replacing sedentary time with physical activity and obesity indices in a sample of 199 community-dwelling older Taiwanese adults (52.3% women; 80.6 ± 7.0 years). Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured using the triaxial accelerometer (GT3X+, ActiGraph). Body composition indices were computed through a bioelectrical impedance analysis of body fat percentage and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index. Waist circumference and body mass index were measured by trained personnel. Isotemporal substitution analyses estimated these associations after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and nutritional status.ResultsThe study showed that substituting 30 min of sedentary behavior per day with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower body fat percentage (B = -1.408, 95% CI = -2.55, -0.264), body mass index (B = -0.681, 95% CI = -1.300, -0.061), and waist circumference (B = -2.301, 95% CI = -4.062, -0.539) after adjusting for covariates. Substituting 30 min of light physical activity per day with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower waist circumference (B = -2.230, 95% CI = -4.173, -0.287) after adjusting for covariates. Stratified analyses indicated that associations were stronger in youngest-old older adults, and in older adults with a normal nutritional status (vs. underweight status).DiscussionThese findings confirm the importance of reducing sedentary behavior and increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among older adults to improve their physical health, as well as highlighting the importance of taking into account nutritional status and age group.