Evaluation of foot health related quality of life in individuals with foot problems by gender: a cross-sectional comparative analysis study

Abstract

Objective: Foot problems (FP) may be considered to be a prevalent conditions in people but there is limited evidence of their effect on the quality of life (QoL) related to foot health in men and women. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of FPs on both overall foot health and QoL, stratified by gender.

Design: A cross sectional study.

Setting: Clinic of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at University of A Coruña in the city of Ferrol (Spain).

Subjects: The sample consisted of 1647 participants with FP; the total population of the sample had a mean age of 43.24±19.89 years, with mean ages 44.09±21.36 years and 42.94±19.34 years for men and women, respectively.

Methods: Measurement of sociodemographic characteristics include age, sex and body mass index. The Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ) was used to evaluate the general health and foot health. Differences between groups were evaluated by means of a t-test for independent samples.

Results: Women with FP showed significantly lower scores in the domains of Foot Pain, Foot Function, Footwear, General Foot Health, Physical Activity and Vigour, and there was no difference compared with men in the domains of Overall Health and Social Capacity.

Conclusions: Women with FP present a negative impact on QoL related to foot health as compared with men except in the domains of Overall Health and Social Capacity, which appears to be associated with the presence of foot conditions.

Keywords: foot; foot deformities; foot diseases; musculoskeletal diseases; quality of life.