Foot size and foot shape of children, adults and elderly

Abstract Most anthropometric studies generally relate to one chosen population. We wanted to assess the variations among different age groups to get a better understanding of the changes to foot shape so that footwear can accommodate these changes satisfactorily. Footwear are not differentiated between adults and elderly, even though there are footwear for children primarily because of smaller feet. Three “age groups” of males and females were scanned at different times. The heel centerline was used to register each scan. Using predetermined algorithms, the digital data were processed to obtain 49 anthropometric variables that included various length, width, girth, and flare measures. The youngest group comprised 40 female children of mean age 8.1 yrs (standard deviation [SD] = 1.48 yrs), 40 males of mean age 8.4 yrs (SD = 1.8 yrs), 40 adult females of mean age 24 yrs (SD = 3.97 yrs), 40 adult males of mean age 21.7 yrs (SD = 2.90 yrs), 40 elderly females of mean 73.3 yrs (SD = 6.8 yrs), and 40 elderly males of mean age 75 yrs (SD = 7.58 yrs). No significant differences were found between left and right foot lengths, but there were significant differences in widths, girths, and heights. Allometric equations were developed to explain the variations over the various age ranges. The findings can help understand the growth of feet and the proper fitting, especially for the elderly.