Flat and cavus foot, indexes of obesity and overweight in a population of primary-school children.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and overweight during the developmental years are related to certain dysmorphisms of the foot, in particular with flat foot. METHODS: The authors evaluated the incidence of this dysmorphism in a population of 243 primary-school pupils, (3rd and 4th class - age range 8-10 years) of ULSS no. 16 in Padua and, at the same time, determined the index of overweight and obesity and the extent and quality of exercise practised. From the anthropometric data collected, it was calculated that the Cole index (ideal ratio between the ideal BMI at the 50 degrees percentile of weight and height as a function of age, sex and real BMI). A photo-podoscopic examination was done in a bipodalic station and the report analysed later on a Polaroid photograph. RESULTS: The incidence of flat foot in the population studied was found to be 16.4%, of which 18.1% were males and 14.6% females. Fifty percent showed slight flat-footedness (1st degree), 28% moderate (2nd degree) and 22% showed very marked flat-footedness (3rd degree). The frequency of obesity and overweight in the same population was found to be 27.3% (Cole index >120). An analysis of the variance showed a significant difference between the Cole Index in subjects with flat feet (121.77+/-19.2) and the rest of the population examined (110.12+/-15.3) (p<.00001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the children suffering from this dysmorphism were also found to be obese or overweight.