Backpacks Effect on Foot Posture in Schoolchildren with a Neutral Foot Posture: A Three-Year Prospective Study

Pilar Alfageme-García, Julián Fernando Calderón-García, Alfonso Martínez-Nova, Sonia Hidalgo-Ruiz, Mariana Martínez-Álvarez and Sergio Rico-Martín
Additional contact information
Pilar Alfageme-García: Nursing Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Julián Fernando Calderón-García: Nursing Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Alfonso Martínez-Nova: Nursing Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Sonia Hidalgo-Ruiz: Nursing Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Mariana Martínez-Álvarez: Nursing Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Sergio Rico-Martín: Nursing Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Background: There is a paucity of data on the relationship between backpack use and foot posture in children. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a backpack on foot posture in children with neutral foot posture during three years of follow-up. Methods: A prospective longitudinal observational study was conducted in a sample of 627 children with neutral foot. For each participant included in the study, age, sex, weight, height, body mass index, type of schoolbag (backpack or non-backpack), foot shape, metatarsal formula and type of shoes were recorded. Foot posture was described by the mean of the foot posture index (FPI) and reassessed after three years in a follow-up study. Results: The average age of the children was 8.32 ± 1.32 years. A total of 458 used a backpack when going to school. Over the three-year follow-up period, 50 children who had neutral foot developed supinated foot ( n = 18) or pronated foot ( n = 32). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the children using a backpack were at a higher risk of developing pronated foot (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 2.05, 95% IC: 1.08–3.89, p = 0.028). Backpack use was not associated with the change from neutral foot to supinated foot. Conclusions: We found a positive association between using a backpack and the risk of developing pronated but not supinated foot. Clinical trials should be conducted to analyze the effect of backpack use on the foot among schoolchildren.

Keywords: flat foot; foot index posture; backpack; schoolchildren; neutral foot; supinated foot; pronated foot (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7313/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7313/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:19:p:7313-:d:424539

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().