Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study
Abstract Background A small but building pool of evidence of the impact of footwear on children's function means understanding the different beliefs of stakeholders about footwear key features and flexibility is critical for translation into recommendations and to support parents and caregivers...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Foot and Ankle Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-022-00580-1 |
| _version_ | 1797321319035961344 |
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| author | Cylie M. Williams Helen A. Banwell Kade L. Paterson Katherine Gobbi Sam Burton Matthew Hill Emma Harber Stewart C. Morrison |
| author_facet | Cylie M. Williams Helen A. Banwell Kade L. Paterson Katherine Gobbi Sam Burton Matthew Hill Emma Harber Stewart C. Morrison |
| author_sort | Cylie M. Williams |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background A small but building pool of evidence of the impact of footwear on children's function means understanding the different beliefs of stakeholders about footwear key features and flexibility is critical for translation into recommendations and to support parents and caregivers in purchasing footwear for their children. Therefore, this research aimed to describe how different stakeholders (health professionals, parents, and footwear industry representatives) described the importance of flexibility and other footwear features for young children. Methods This qualitative study was nested within an international modified Delphi online survey. Participants responded to open‐ended questions about footwear component flexibility and asked if and why flexibility in these areas were important. Participants also described any other important footwear features. Inductive thematic analysis was used to generate themes. Results There were 121 responses from three stakeholder groups including health professionals (n = 90), parents of young children (n = 26) and footwear industry representatives (n = 5). Overarching themes described by participants included developmental impacts of footwear, therapeutic impact and how footwear may play a role in function. Conclusion There were key differences in how stakeholders viewed footwear and any perceived benefits of footwear components, much of which was not backed with empirical evidence. It was also identified that health professionals are using footwear within treatment recommendations. This work highlights the importance of understanding circumstances in which footwear may have a therapeutic impact or be the first line of treatment for children with complex foot needs. This is the first step in developing contemporary footwear recommendations for parents and caregivers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:56:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca717d4e71f44f44bc53cb880933b300 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1757-1146 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:56:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Foot and Ankle Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca717d4e71f44f44bc53cb880933b3002024-02-07T15:15:31ZengWileyJournal of Foot and Ankle Research1757-11462022-01-01151n/an/a10.1186/s13047-022-00580-1Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative studyCylie M. Williams0Helen A. Banwell1Kade L. Paterson2Katherine Gobbi3Sam Burton4Matthew Hill5Emma Harber6Stewart C. Morrison7School of Primary and Allied Health Care47‐49 Moorooduc HwyMonash University3199FrankstonVictoriaAustraliaAllied Health and Human PerformanceUniversity of South AustraliaAdelaideAustraliaCentre for HealthExercise and Sports MedicineThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVictoriaAustraliaParent (Consumer Representative)VictoriaAustraliaBobux InternationalAucklandNew ZealandCentre for Biomechanics and Rehabilitation TechnologiesStaffordshire UniversityStaffordshireUKParent (Consumer Representative)Church StrettonUKSchool of Life Course and Population SciencesKing's CollegeLondonUKAbstract Background A small but building pool of evidence of the impact of footwear on children's function means understanding the different beliefs of stakeholders about footwear key features and flexibility is critical for translation into recommendations and to support parents and caregivers in purchasing footwear for their children. Therefore, this research aimed to describe how different stakeholders (health professionals, parents, and footwear industry representatives) described the importance of flexibility and other footwear features for young children. Methods This qualitative study was nested within an international modified Delphi online survey. Participants responded to open‐ended questions about footwear component flexibility and asked if and why flexibility in these areas were important. Participants also described any other important footwear features. Inductive thematic analysis was used to generate themes. Results There were 121 responses from three stakeholder groups including health professionals (n = 90), parents of young children (n = 26) and footwear industry representatives (n = 5). Overarching themes described by participants included developmental impacts of footwear, therapeutic impact and how footwear may play a role in function. Conclusion There were key differences in how stakeholders viewed footwear and any perceived benefits of footwear components, much of which was not backed with empirical evidence. It was also identified that health professionals are using footwear within treatment recommendations. This work highlights the importance of understanding circumstances in which footwear may have a therapeutic impact or be the first line of treatment for children with complex foot needs. This is the first step in developing contemporary footwear recommendations for parents and caregivers.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-022-00580-1ShoesChildrenGaitQualitativeFootFootwear |
| spellingShingle | Cylie M. Williams Helen A. Banwell Kade L. Paterson Katherine Gobbi Sam Burton Matthew Hill Emma Harber Stewart C. Morrison Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study Journal of Foot and Ankle Research Shoes Children Gait Qualitative Foot Footwear |
| title | Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study |
| title_full | Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study |
| title_short | Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | parents health professionals and footwear stakeholders beliefs on the importance of different features of young children s footwear a qualitative study |
| topic | Shoes Children Gait Qualitative Foot Footwear |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-022-00580-1 |
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