Conhecimento dos pais/responsáveis sobre a saúde dos pés e a relação com a escolha e ajuste do calçado utilizados no ambiente escolar

Abstract

Footwear fit has been identified as one of the main reasons for disorders related to the structure of the feet. From this perspective, parents play an extremely important role when choosing the shoes used by their children. Therefore, the research aims to analyze the relationship between parents' knowledge regarding the health of children's feet and the dimensions of the feet/shoes used in the school environment. The study presents cross-sectional and quantitative characteristics. 300 schoolchildren aged between 6 and 11 years old, of both sexes, regularly enrolled in public schools in Manaus - AM, participated in the research. As for the instruments used in the research, an adapted questionnaire was used, applied to parents to check their perception of foot health; the anthropometric measurements of the students' feet were measured with a digital caliper and to determine the dimensions of the shoes, the length of the insole was measured in the case of closed shoes and the measurement of the sole in the case of open shoes or shoes without an insole. To identify the correct fit of the shoes in relation to the size of the students' feet, the difference between the sizes of the length of the shoes and the evaluated foot was calculated, classified as “adequate” or “inadequate” fit in accordance with the NBR technical standard. 16260:2014. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics using mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum and median value for all variables used and grouped by sex, graphs were created with absolute frequency measurements, logistic regression model, GEE regression model. All inferential analyzes adopted a value of p<0.05 for significance and were carried out using the R vers. 4.3.1. Regarding the results, the feet present similar measurements in inter and intra sex comparisons in both the right and left feet. Regarding shoe fit, both sexes demonstrate “inadequate” fits, however, male participants showed a greater distance from the clearance range for a fit considered “ideal”. Regarding the factors considered by parents when choosing footwear for their children, comfort, price and durability of the product stand out. Regarding identifying shoe fit, most parents indicate that they prefer to ask their children about shoe fit. Most respondents state that they usually change their children's shoes throughout the school year, taking into account the wear and tear of the material. The largest percentage of parents state that they have already received/searched for information regarding the appropriate footwear for their children's feet, of which the majority have sought/received this information from the store salesperson. Depending on the information about foot health, parents say they are concerned about the health of their children's feet, however, most parents tend to examine their children's feet infrequently or infrequently. Depending on parents' perception of identifying changes in their children's feet, the majority of respondents say they see their feet without any changes. Finally, the largest number of parents report that they have already sought/received information about foot health and the vast majority of this information was passed on by health professionals. Regarding the influence of foot information on shoe fit variables, for the right foot, only two variables present statistically significant values. In relation to collecting information about the knowledge of parents/guardians about footwear and foot health, it is clear how necessary it is to debate the subject and raise awareness, that the use of footwear is directly related to the health aspect. Therefore, once you have the information, you must disseminate it to parents/guardians, influencing their respective attitudes regarding the relevance of factors when choosing footwear for their children. Therefore, once you have the information, you must disseminate the content to parents/guardians, influencing their respective attitudes regarding the relevance of factors when choosing footwear for their children. To this end, there is a need to plan activities such as lecture cycles, workshops in the educational environment explaining the importance of the topic, the creation of booklets and playful information to reach all ages. In addition to direct dissemination with the public, it is essential to publish articles in highly relevant journals so that they can also be disseminated in the scientific community, as well as organizing the results for a possible public policy proposal aimed at the use of appropriate footwear in school environment.