Prevalence of Flatfoot Primary School Children and Its Relationship with BMI and Gender

Abstract

Background and Objective: Flatfoot is a morphological medical condition of the feet caused by fallen MLA or no MLA at all. Each person at the tender toddler ages of life and it becomes a concern if it persists in a child older than 6 years old. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of flatfoot in Obio-Apkor local government area, rivers State, Nigeria and its relationship with BMI and Gender. Materials and Methods: 480 primary school children from over 10 randomly selected schools participated in this study. Demographic data and footprints from which flatfoot was determined by calculating with Staheli Plantar Arch index method was obtained. Results: It showed that the prevalence of flatfoot was 13.33% (64 participants). The males had more incidence of flatfoot than the females in the ratio 52:12 which was 21.67% and 5% respectively. Unilateral flatfoot was more than bilateral flatfoot. There were strong positive significant correlations between BMIM and BMIF (r = 0.946, p ≤ 0.01), PAIRLF and PAILLF (r = 0.662, p ≤ 0.01) and between PAIRLM and PAILLM (r = 0.759, p ≤ 0.01). Nonetheless, there was a significant difference between PAIF and PAIM and no significance between PAI and BMI. Conclusion: Schools are the best and right place to investigate the prevalence of flatfoot in children. Many works show that boys have been found to have more of flatfoot condition than girls. Flatfoot in children is mostly flexible and should not be treated at all but if it persists till teenage years of a child immediate treatment measures should be taken to reverse the situation.