The evaluation and prevalence of foot problems among iranian students using “alfoots” company scanner

Background: Foot problems, especially flat foot, are one of the most important reasons for children to refer to foot clinics. Misdiagnosis has serious complications for the patients in future. Studies carried out so far have used non precise methods such as observation to evaluate foot abnormalities. The aim of the present study was to determine the exact prevalence of foot problems in Iranian primary school students and to compare our results with the previous studies. Method and Material: It was a cross-sectional study performed between February 2009 and February 2013. 1652 students were recruited from the primary schools in Tehran and were analyzed using alfoots company scanner. Results: 830(50.3%) out of 1652 students had foot problems. 789 out of 830 students (48%) were diagnosed as flat foot. Conclusions: We reported a higher prevalence of flat foot in comparison to the previous studies. These differences can be attributed to methodologies. Our method is precise and non-time consuming in comparison to the methods used in other studies. Because of the serious secondary complications resulting from misdiagnosis of flat foot, it is better to use new technologies to evaluate foot problems.

Author(s): Yoosefinejad Amin Kordi

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