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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Reference values for foot morphological characteristics: a cross-sectional study of urban Chinese children aged 9-36
Shuang Feng1, Huilan Feng1, Yanhui Li1
1Department of Child Health Care, Xi'an People's Hospital (Xi'an Fourth Hospital), Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
Insights
This study establishes the first sex-specific foot morphology reference standards for Chinese children under three years old. These findings provide crucial data for early foot development assessment in this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Human Anatomy
Background:
- Early childhood foot development is critical but lacks standardized assessment tools.
- Accurate foot morphology data is essential for identifying developmental abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish sex-specific reference percentiles for key foot dimensions in Chinese children under three years of age.
- To provide foundational data for the early assessment of foot structure in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 6,284 Chinese children aged 9-36 months.
- Measured foot length, width, calcaneal eversion angle, and arch index from static, weight-bearing images.
- Constructed sex-specific percentile curves using the Generalised Additive Model for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS).
Main Results:
- Foot length, width, and arch index increased with age in both sexes.
- Foot width/length ratio and calcaneal eversion angle decreased with age.
- Provided median values for key foot dimensions across different age groups and sexes.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first foot morphology reference standards for urban Chinese children under three.
- These standards are vital for early foot structure assessment in this population.
- The data supports clinical evaluation and research in pediatric podiatry.
Background:
The first three years are critical for foot development, yet standardised assessments are lacking.
Aim:
This study aimed to establish sex-specific reference percentiles for key foot dimensions in Chinese children under three years of age.
Subjects And Methods:
We recruited 6,284 children aged 9-36 months from a child health clinic in Xi'an, China. Foot length, width, calcaneal eversion angle, and the arch index were measured from static, weight-bearing images. Sex-specific percentile curves were constructed using the Generalised Additive Model for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS).
Results:
Foot length, width, and arch index increased with age, whereas the foot width/length ratio and calcaneal eversion angle decreased. Median (P50) foot length increased from 11.29 cm to 15.07 cm in boys and from 10.95 cm to 14.76 cm in girls. Corresponding values for foot width were 5.37-6.50 cm (boys) and 5.15-6.30 cm (girls). The arch index rose from 0.04 to 0.18 (boys) and 0.06 to 0.23 (girls), while the foot width/length ratio declined from 47.45% to 43.04% (boys) and 47.03% to 42.51% (girls).
Conclusion:
This study provides the first foot morphology reference standards for urban Chinese children under three years of age, offering essential data for early foot structure assessment in this population.
