| dc.description.abstract | Flatfoot, also known as pes planus is a postural
deformity, congenital or pathological due to
collapse of foot arches. It leads to entire sole of foot
to contact ground completely or near-completely.
The objectives of this study were to determine
the prevalence of flat foot among Allied Health
undergraduates and its correlation with age,
gender and BMI (Body Mass Index). A cross-sectional
study was conducted among 533 male
(n=131) and female (n=402) participants (mean
age 23.009) enrolled through convenient sampling.
Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used
to collect demographic data. Height and weight
measurements were obtained to calculate BMI.
Footprints were obtained using Modified Harris
Mat. Arch index ratio was used to determine the
foot type. The data were analyzed using SPSS
version 23. P<0.05 was considered statistically
significant. The overall prevalence of flat foot in
the age group studied (19-26 years) was 34.7%
(n=185), the majority (73.5%) with bilateral flat
foot. Though a notably higher percent of females
(74.1%; n=137) compared to males (25.9%; n=48)
had flat foot, the study failed to find a statistically
proven correlation with gender (p=0.069) and
with age (p=0.540). However, flatfoot showed
a statistically significant association with BMI
(p=0.000) with relatively higher prevalence
(n=164, 52.4%) among overweight and obese
categories of BMI (23–24.9). The prevalence of
flatfoot among Allied Health undergraduates
was notably high requiring screening for early
detection and appropriate referral for corrective
measures. | en_US |
