Children with Obesity Experience Different Age-Related Changes in Plantar Pressure Distributions: A Follow-Up Study in China

Yihong Zhao, Debin Zheng, Shiyang Yan, Mengyuan Liu and Luming Yang
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Yihong Zhao: National Engineering Research Center of Clean Technology in Leather Industry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Debin Zheng: National Engineering Research Center of Clean Technology in Leather Industry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Shiyang Yan: National Engineering Research Center of Clean Technology in Leather Industry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Mengyuan Liu: Key Laboratory of Leather Chemistry and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Luming Yang: National Engineering Research Center of Clean Technology in Leather Industry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-10

Abstract: Age is a key factor in plantar pressure distributions during the development of obese children. However, the existing evidence for age-related plantar pressures of obese children is not sufficient to make clear how the plantar pressures would change with the increasing age. This study aimed to evaluate the plantar pressure redistributions of obese children after a three-year follow-up and to further compare these changes with normal-weighted children. Ten obese children and eleven normal-weighted counterparts were involved in this study. Plantar pressure measurements were undertaken using a Footscan ® plantar pressure plate on two test sessions three years apart. Peak pressure, pressure-time integral, standard maximum force, and z-scores of these variables were analyzed. Loading transference analyses were applied to detect the different loading transferring mechanisms between obese and normal-weighted children. Significantly increased plantar pressures were observed at the lateral forefoot and midfoot for obese children, which gradually deviated from those of normal-weighted children over the 3 years. With the increasing age, obese children displayed a lateral loading shift at the forefoot in contrast to the normal-weighted. Early interventions are cautiously recommended for obese children before the plantar loading deviation gets worse as they grow older.

Keywords: obesity; children; age; loading transference; plantar pressure redistribution; follow-up study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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