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A survey exploring self‐reported indoor and outdoor footwear habits, foot problems and fall status in people with stroke and Parkinson's

Overview of attention for article published in Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, September 2016
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Title
A survey exploring self‐reported indoor and outdoor footwear habits, foot problems and fall status in people with stroke and Parkinson's
Published in
Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, September 2016
DOI 10.1186/s13047-016-0170-5
Pubmed ID
Authors

Catherine Bowen, Ann Ashburn, Mark Cole, Margaret Donovan‐Hall, Malcolm Burnett, Judy Robison, Louis Mamode, Ruth Pickering, Dan Bader, Dorit Kunkel

Abstract

Ill-fitting shoes have been implicated as a risk factor for falls but research to date has focused on people with arthritis, diabetes and the general older population; little is known about people with neurological conditions. This survey for people with stroke and Parkinson's explored people's choice of indoor and outdoor footwear, foot problems and fall history. Following ethical approval, 1000 anonymous postal questionnaires were distributed to health professionals, leads of Parkinson's UK groups and stroke clubs in the wider Southampton area, UK. These collaborators handed out survey packs to people with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke or Parkinson's. Three hundred and sixty three completed surveys were returned (218 from people with Parkinson's and 145 from people with stroke). Most respondents wore slippers indoors and walking shoes outdoors and considered comfort and fit the most important factors when buying footwear. Foot problems were reported by 43 % (95 % confidence intervals 36 to 52 %; stroke) and 53 % (95 % confidence interval 46 to 59 %; Parkinson's) of respondents; over 50 % had never accessed foot care support. Fifty percent of all respondents reported falls. In comparison to non-fallers, a greater proportion of fallers reported foot problems (57 %), with greater proportions reporting problems impacting on balance and influencing choice of footwear (p < 0.01) in comparison to non-fallers in each case. Forty-seven percent of fallers with foot problems had not accessed foot care support. Many people with stroke and Parkinson's wear slippers indoors. A high percentage of these individuals reported both foot problems and falls impacting on footwear habits and choice of footwear; however many did not receive foot care support. These findings highlight that further exploration of footwear and foot problems in these populations is warranted to provide evidence based advice on safe and appropriate footwear to support rehabilitation and fall prevention.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 102 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 102 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 19 19%
Student > Bachelor 15 15%
Researcher 7 7%
Student > Ph. D. Student 6 6%
Student > Doctoral Student 6 6%
Other 23 23%
Unknown 26 25%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Nursing and Health Professions 28 27%
Medicine and Dentistry 11 11%
Neuroscience 9 9%
Unspecified 5 5%
Engineering 4 4%
Other 16 16%
Unknown 29 28%