Cross-Sectional Study Shows Kindergarten Barefoot Policy Positively Affects Soles’ Contact Area

Abstract

Although some studies have examined the effect of allowing preschool children to go without shoes, some points remain unexamined. Therefore, this study examined the effect of kindergartens' barefoot policy on the contact area of the soles of the feet (plantar arch, hallux valgus angle, and foot angle). Participants were 313 preschool children (169 boys; 144 girls) at a kindergarten following the barefoot policy and 339 (176 boys; 163 girls) at a kindergarten not following the policy. The children stood barefoot on a pedoscope, so images of their soles' contact area could be taken and then analyzed by software specifically for that purpose. Both boys and girls who attended kindergartens with barefoot policy had better development of the plantar arch and less angle of the hallux valgus than children who attended kindergartens not following the barefoot policy. Only boys who attended kindergartens that followed barefoot policy had a larger foot angle than children who attended kindergartens that did not. For preschool children, barefoot policy positively affected their soles' contact area.

How barefoot and conventional shoes affect the foot and gait characteristics in toddlers

“…A similar observation was reported by Rao and Joseph [ 6 ] and Echarri et al [ 4 ] who suggested that shoe-wearing in early childhood may affect the longitudinal arch development. Similarly, a previous study by Matsuda et al [ 5 ] shows that preschool children with a habitual barefoot policy in kindergartens have better development of the plantar arch.…”

“…The formation of children's plantar arches is one of the most widely researched questions in relation to barefoot walking. Children who habitually walk barefooted have been observed to have better plantar arch development as compared to their peers who wear shoes [4][5][6], and habitual shoe-wearing at an early age has been suggested to have an effect on the predisposition towards flat feet [7,8].…”

Hallux valgus in pre-school-aged children: the effects of too-short shoes on the hallux angle and the effects of going barefoot on podiatric health

“…The issue of poorly-fitting indoor shoes is often overlooked, although due to the amount of time spent wearing such shoes, the impact could be substantial (Klein et al, 2009;Matsuda et al, 2018).…”

“…The correlation between shoes of insufficient length and changes in the hallux angle has been discussed in detail. Valid data are also available on the feet of toddlers, who could be considered to be particularly sensitive with regards to age-appropriate development (Klein et al, 2009;Matsuda et al, 2018).…”

Understanding the Role of Children’s Footwear on Children’s Feet and Gait Development: A Systematic Scoping Review

“…However, recent studies have shown that habitually barefoot walking children develop well-functioning plantar arches more than their shoe-wearing peers [6,7]. Because the windlass mechanism works more frequently [7], children who are barefoot have more space for the feet and toes to move flexibly.…”