Do foot posture, deformity, and footwear fit influence physical activity levels in children with Down syndrome? A prospective cohort study

Background Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) participate in low levels of physical activity. To inform the development of interventions, we need to better understand factors associated with physical activity. The aim of this study was therefore to systematically review correlates of physical activity in children and adolescents with ID. Methods The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Web of Science, ERIC, CINAHL and PsycINFO were searched between 1 January 1990 and 29 February 2020 to identify English‐language studies, which examined correlates of free‐living physical activity in children and adolescents (0–19 years) with ID. Study quality was assessed. Correlates were analysed using a narrative synthesis and classified using the socioecological model as intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational or environmental. Results Fifteen studies published between 2010 and 2019 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Forty‐eight individual correlates were identified. Studies were predominantly focused on intrapersonal‐level correlates. Of those correlates investigated in more than one study (n = 6), having better motor development was positively associated with physical activity. Inconsistent results were found for age and cardiorespiratory fitness. Sex, percentage body fat and body mass index were not correlated. No interpersonal‐level, organisational‐level or environmental‐level correlates were included in more than one study. Conclusions To date, we have limited and inconclusive evidence about correlates of physical activity in children and adolescents with ID. Only when future studies unravel correlates and determinants, across all domains of the socioecological model, will the potential opportunities to improve health by increasing physical activity levels be achievable.

show abstract

“…2010), Australia (Shields et al . 2017), the Netherlands (Wouters et al . 2019), Sweden (Sundahl et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2015b; Shields et al . 2017; Pitchford et al . 2018), two reported on mixed disabilities samples (Sit et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of physical activity in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review

Sutherland

McGarty

Melville

et al. 2021

J intellect Disabil Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Footwear fit relates to the ergonomic purpose of footwear, a significant factor of its function is how it fits the foot [156]. Even though fit appeared to be a prominent area of research, there was a limited number of empirical studies (n = 4) exploring the effects of incorrectly fitted footwear on children [46, 47, 122, 157].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Key concepts in children's footwear research: a scoping review focusing on therapeutic footwear

Hill

Healy

Chockalingam

2019

Journal of Foot and Ankle Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Reports suggest that children with mobility impairment represent a significant proportion of the population living with a disability. Footwear is considered to be the key extrinsic factor affecting children’s gait and footwear modifications have been historically postulated to assist with locomotory difficulty. Although therapeutic footwear has been considered within the literature, there is a lack of consistency on terminology and paucity on the overall understanding. A scoping review was performed to chart the key concepts in children’s footwear and to establish the range of studies that considered therapeutic footwear. Methods A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, SPORTdiscus, and Scopus electronic databases was performed using MeSH headings and free text terms in relation to children’s footwear. All studies that used footwear as an intervention in children aged 9 months to 18 years with the outcome measures including design, fit, and the effects on development and health were included. Studies were charted by textual narrative synthesis into research groupings dependent on the topics discussed and the methods used in the studies. Results The search yielded a total of 5006 articles with 287 of these articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Two overarching areas of research were identified; articles that discussed footwear design and those that discussed the effects of footwear. Eight further general groupings were charted and apportioned between the overarching areas and therapeutic footwear was charted into three subgroupings (corrective, accommodative and functional). Conclusion Children’s footwear has become an increasing area of research in the past decade with a shift towards more empirical research, with most of the included articles examining biomechanical and anthropometric aspects. However, children’s therapeutic footwear has not shared the same recent impetus with no focused review and limited research exploring its effects. Empirical research in this area is limited and there is ambiguity in the terminology used to describe therapeutic footwear. Based on the findings of this review the authors suggest the term children’s therapeutic footwear be used as the standard definition for footwear that is designed specifically with the purpose to support or alleviate mobility impairment in childhood; with subgroupings of corrective, accommodative and functional dependent on the intended therapeutic role. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13047-019-0336-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…Appropriate footwear choices through the lifespan are important to protect the feet as well as provide support for the body during functional activities (Morrison et al, ), and these data add to an existing concern. Previous work in a sample of 50 children with Down syndrome identified that poorly fitting footwear was a source of pain and associated with increased levels of foot‐specific disability (Lim et al, ) and reduced physical activity levels (Shields et al, ). Poorly fitting footwear has also been implicated in the development of mechanical skin injury (e.g., blisters, and callus) and nail complications (Jenkins, Cooper, O'Connor, Watanabe, & Wills, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Footwear has an important role in supporting the foot during weight‐bearing; yet, findings suggest that footwear problems are a frequent concern in children (Kennedy, McGinley, Paterson, Ryan, & Carroll, ; Lim et al, ; Morrison, Price, McClymont, & Nester, ; Prasher, Robinson, Krishnan, & Chung, ). Poor footwear fit can affect gait and balance (Kennedy et al, ; Wegener, Hunt, Vanwanseele, Burns, & Smith, ) and has been reported to be associated with increased levels of foot‐specific disability in children with Down syndrome (Lim et al, ) and reduced physical activity levels (Shields et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foot care needs for children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Morrison

Barrett

Haines

2019

Brit J Learn Disabil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Accessible Summary• We asked parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to complete a survey to help us understand more about the foot problems their children have experienced.• Parents told us that foot problems were common in their children, 75% of the parents raised this as a concern. Less than half of the parents felt confident with managing these problems. Buying shoes was considered difficult.• The results from this survey tell us that foot problems in children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are a concern. It is important to ensure that children have access to foot care services. AbstractBackground: Foot problems have been reported to be a very common health issue in adults with intellectual disabilities; foot problems in children and young people are, however, poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore foot care needs of children and young people with intellectual and developmental disability.Methods: An exploratory, cross-sectional online survey was undertaken across a four-month period. A purposive snowball sampling approach was adopted. The survey tool was piloted before launch and comprised three sections. The first section elicited information relating to parent/caregiver status, diagnosis, secondary diagnoses and age of child/young person. The second domain explored foot care and sought to obtain information about foot problems, access to health services and existing knowledge about foot health. The third domain focussed on footwear. Ethical approval was granted from the host institution, and all participants provided electronic consent before completing the survey.Results: Data were collected from 49 parents/parental caregivers reporting on behalf of their children (mean age 7 years of age; SD 4.5 years of age). Parents reported foot problems to be very common (75%), and pes planus was the most frequent concern (51%). Twenty-four parents reported difficulties with finding shoes (48%). A mismatch between foot shape and the shoe (30%) or complications with orthotic devices (14%) within the shoe were highlighted. Conclusion:The results demonstrated that the burden of foot problems in children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is considerable. The findings highlight the importance of access to foot care services for these children. | 5 MORRISON et al.

show abstract

Do foot posture, deformity, and footwear fit influence physical activity levels in children with Down syndrome? A prospective cohort study

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

Correlates of physical activity in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review

Correlates of physical activity in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review

Key concepts in children's footwear research: a scoping review focusing on therapeutic footwear

Foot care needs for children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About