The development in footprint morphology in 1851 Congolese children from urban and rural areas, and the relationship between this and wearing shoes.

The footprints of 1851 Congolese children were studied using the index of Chippaux-Smirak, Staheli's index of the arch, and Clarke's angle. The sample consisted of 906 girls and 945 boys aged between 3 and 12 years, including city children who wore shoes and children from rural areas who had gone barefoot. At the ages of 3 and 4 years, most feet were morphologically flat, but the proportion of flat feet decreased with age in both sexes. Boys had a greater tendency for flat feet. According to the three parameters studied there was a greater proportion of flat feet in the urban environment. By multiple regression analysis the three parameters we had studied identified age as the primary predictive factor for flat feet. As in previous studies in western populations, the girls had a higher inner arch than the boys and footwear had very little influence on the morphology of the foot.