Developing elderly men’s footwear sizing system based on their foot shapes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a shoe sizing system for elderly men in Korea based on previous studies which analyzed aspects and shapes of the sole of those who aged 60 years or more. The sizing system creation process included natural log-transformation, principle component analysis, multivariate linear regression, size range determination, and measurements calculation. Measurement interval was set up based on Korea standard (KS). Cross analysis was conducted for basic items to select an interval which indicated frequency of more than 5% by type. A measurement system was then established by type. As results of this study, a shoe sizing system was developed with an interval of 5 mm for foot length, an interval of 3 mm for the circumference of the top of the foot, and an interval of 6 mm for the circumference of the top of the foot within the same foot length standard. To reflect characteristics by type, respective shoe sizing systems in accordance with type were developed. 12 types of shoe sizing systems were suggested for elderly men. Our results indicate that shoe sizing system for elderly men by foot type could improve the suitability of shoes. They could give wider range of shoe sizes and high satisfaction. They can help shoe makers produce shoes with various purposes and functions for seniors.

Perception of footwear comfort and its relationship with the foot structure among youngest-old women and men

“…In both cases, the shoes become uncomfortable for the user. Kim & Do (2019) noted that the foot length is commonly considered the most important or the only measure of footwear fit. However, according to Rossi (2001) the use of this criterion often leads to a poor fit as most of the fit problems relate to the width or volume dimension.…”

“…The use of excessively worn or slippery footwear has a negative effect, as well as its improper construction, e.g., wrong height of the heel or upper, heel stiffening (Saghazadeh, Kitano & Okura, 2015). On the one hand, the choice of footwear in the case of seniors stems from economic reasons, which depend on the amount of income from retirement or disability pensions, as well as on savings accumulated during life-the so-called old age security (Jenkins & Knopf-Amelung, 2013;Kim & Do, 2019). On the other hand, some people buy shoes based on fashion or aesthetics rather than comfort.…”

Differences in foot shape when wearing wedge-heeled shoes with elevated forefoot height and heel height

“…It is widely believed that heel elevation causes changes in foot shape that has a relationship with foot function (Jo et al, 2022). Knowledge of foot shape can benefit footwear design (Kim & Do, 2019), thereby mitigating the discomfort and risk of injury due to ill-fitting shoes (Branthwaite & Chockalingam, 2019). Kouchi and Tsutsumi (2000) quantitatively clarified the changes in foot shape caused by heel heights of 0, 40, and 80 mm.…”

Relationships between the Perception of Footwear Comfort and the Fear of Falls in People at the Early Period of Old Age

“…Additionally, footwear with elevated or narrow heels, soft midsoles, and lack of fixation is considered to be detrimental [10]. Wearing such footwear can significantly increase the sway of the body's center of gravity, predisposing to loss of balance and, consequently, falls [11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…Data in the literature show that many elderly people wear inappropriate footwear that is excessively flexible, has thick, soft midsoles, smooth outsoles, and/or is too long and wide. Shoes are replaced infrequently, possibly due to a lack of knowledge of the characteristics of the respective shoes and/or for financial reasons [9,11,12,19]. This is why we proposed to seniors to test a specific model of shoes of a selected brand, in terms of their usefulness in everyday life.…”