Footwear choices made by young women and their potential impact on foot health

Abstract

Modern footwear has been associated with the development of foot pain and pathology in the ageing adult. Yet this foot health issue does not seem to alter the footwear purchases made by younger women. In total, 162 teenage girls were questioned regarding shoes purchased over a 6-month period. The results indicated that footwear choices are activity specific and participants chose the style and design of shoes related to the image they wanted to portray. Association of footwear choice to foot function and health was not found to influence choice of footwear.