A foot-care program to facilitate self-care by the elderly: a non-randomized intervention study

Abstract

ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate a foot-care awareness program designed to improve foot morphology, physical functioning, and fall prevention among the community-dwelling elderly. Eleven independent community-dwelling elderly women (aged 61–83 years) were provided with foot-care advice and shown effective foot-care techniques to perform regularly for 6 months, and compared with a control group of 10 elderly women who did not receive any intervention. Measurements of foot form, functional capacity, subjective foot movement, and physical function were taken at baseline and 6-month follow-up.ResultsAt follow-up, improvements were seen in the intervention group in foot morphology, subjective foot movement, foot pressure, and balance. In the intervention group, 90% of women had maintained or improved foot form and none of them had fallen during the post-intervention period, compared to the control group where 30% improved foot form (p = 0.0075) and four (40%) of them had fallen. Therefore, a foot-care program may have the potential to prevent falls and improve mobility among the elderly. Trial Registration UMIN-CTR No. UMIN000029632. Date of Registration: October 19, 2017Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-017-2898-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

An educational intervention on foot self‐care behaviour among diabetic retinopathy patients with visual disability and their primary caregivers

“…This study found that there were significant improvements on foot self‐care behaviours among DR patients with visual disability and their primary caregivers after the 12‐week educational intervention, which was in line with the findings of Coppola, Sasso, Bagnasco, Giustina, and Gazzaruso (). Health education is an effective tool to improve biological outcomes and quality of life in diabetic subjects (Coppola et al, ), particularly in maintaining foot form and improving foot pressure and balance, which may be of great significance in preventing falls (Omote et al, ). As a low‐cost, low technological and low complexity primary healthcare method, foot self‐care should be promoted and disseminated in diabetic clinical practice.…”

Reduced family care burden by using a communication robot: Case report

“…1 Building on prior studies showing the beneficial effects of skincare education, we sought to improve understanding of skincare perceptions and behaviors of the older Chinesespeaking population in Boston, MA, USA, and to increase their knowledge and self-efficacy of skin and foot care through a targeted curriculum. 2,3 This study was approved by the institutional review board at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, Protocol No. 2018P003165.…”

“…This study is consistent with prior educational programs that have led to improvement in self-care in minority and older populations. 2,3 As with other studies implemented in minority populations, cultural sensitivity was prioritized. We reframed perceived severity and susceptibility of developing skin cancer and feet Letters to the Editor -Research Studies © 2020 Japan Geriatrics Society | 385 problems according to the Health Belief Model to increase engagement of our curriculum's content.…”

“…As dual-energy Xray absorptiometry is not always available in a daily clinical setting, muscle mass and nutritional status are assessed by anthropometric measurements, including calf circumference (CC) and mid-arm circumference (MAC). 2,3 Recently, the sarcopenia index (SI), an index calculated as serum creatinine / cystatin C (CysC) ratio, has been reported to correlate with appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) in different groups of study participants. [4][5][6][7] However, it has not been examined whether SI is a better and more accurate index of muscle mass than CC or MAC in patients with CHF.…”

“…8 CC and MAC were assessed using a plastic tape measure, as previously reported with slight modifications. 2,3 Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form. The present study was carried out in strict adherence with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, and was approved by the Clinical Investigation Ethics Committee of Sapporo Medical University Hospital (number 302-243).…”