Assessing public awareness of clubfoot and knowledge about the importance of early childhood treatment: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background Clubfoot is a treatable abnormality that can be managed with early intervention. However, there is a lack of public knowledge regarding clubfoot, which can delay treatment. This study aimed to assess the public awareness of clubfoot and knowledge regarding the importance of treatment in early childhood. Methods This cross-sectional survey spanned 6 months, from June through November 2018, and involved persons living in Saudi Arabia. To collect data on public awareness of clubfoot risk factors, treatment, and prognosis, a questionnaire was developed by orthopedic experts and disseminated online. The target population included people of both genders and all age groups from the general population, regardless of their knowledge of someone with clubfoot. Results By the end of the study period, 746 participants completed the online survey. In total, 520 of the respondents (69.7%) had never heard about clubfoot syndrome. Among the participants, 5.4% had a child with clubfoot syndrome and 4.6% were aware of clubfoot because they had an affected child. The top resource accessed by respondents for obtaining knowledge about clubfoot was social media channels (38.4%), followed by obtaining knowledge from relatives and friends (19.9%). The most reported perceived cause of clubfoot was hereditary and genetic disorders (58.4%), followed by neurological disorders (39.9%). Conclusions Results show that there is low public knowledge of clubfoot which may be attributed to a lack of awareness campaigns. We recommend increasing awareness regarding clubfoot through social media platforms and public campaigns in key locations, such as malls, as this may encourage people to seek early treatment. This is important because early management of clubfoot is less invasive and with regular follow-up, leads to better patient outcomes.

Case Report of Club Foot Correction in Child With Spina Bifida

“…A cross sectional study in Riyadh in 2018 showed that about 70% of participants had never heard about clubfoot. (15) Additionally, the same study revealed that 58% cases of clubfoot were due to hereditary and genetical causes.…”

“…(14) Nevertheless, regular follow up should be established to assess the progress and prevent recurrence. (15) However, the TSF is an external fixator used in treating limb pathologies such as deformities or fractures . (14) Whilethe Ponseti technique consist of serial casting.…”

Assessment of awareness and barriers to clubfoot treatment in the Indian scenario

“…Alsiddiky et al . [ 7 ] in their review of public awareness of clubfoot in the general population in Saudi Arabia noted that prior knowledge of clubfoot was significantly associated with awareness of the best time to initiate clubfoot treatment and that there was a statistically significant association between awareness and correct perception of first-line treatment for clubfoot, that is, respondents who believed cast application was the first line of treatment for clubfoot were significantly more aware of clubfoot. Alam et al .…”

Clubfoot management in the Middle East: a survey-based review

“…They will also be oriented to seek care as soon as possible after birth increasing the chance of presenting optimal care for their children (52,53,56). Much work is still to do on these aspects as people awareness on this condition is very poor (33).…”

“…More, surgery is performed between 6 months and 1 year of age, making it advantageous to manipulations technique that should start immediately after birth. This is of paramount importance in the Middle East region where awareness about clubfoot as a curable deformity that needs immediate and prompt care and intervention was lacking in that period (33). It was the McKay surgical approach rather than the Turco technique that was performed in Lebanon (34).…”