The effects of being habitually barefoot on foot mechanics and motor performance in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years : study protocol for a multicenter crosssectional study (Barefoot LIFE project)
Date
2016-09-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
Background: Barefoot locomotion has evoked an increasing scientific interest with a controversial debate about
benefits and limitations of barefoot and simulated barefoot walking and running. While most current knowledge
comes from cross sectional laboratory studies, the evolutionary perspective suggests the importance of investigating
the long-term effects. Observing habitually barefoot populations could fill the current gap of missing high quality
longitudinal studies. Therefore, the study described in this design paper aims to investigate the effects of being
habitually barefoot on foot mechanics and motor performance of children and adolescents.
Methods: This study has a cross-sectional, binational design and is part of the “Barefoot Locomotion for Individual
Foot- and health Enhancement (Barefoot LIFE)” project. Two large cohorts (n(total) = 520) of healthy children and
adolescents between 6 and 18 years of age will be included respectively in Germany and South Africa. A barefoot
questionnaire will be used to determine habitually barefoot individuals. The testing will be school-based and include
foot mechanical (static arch height index, dynamic arch index, foot pliability) and motor performance (coordination,
speed, leg power) outcomes. Gender, BMI and level of physical activity will be considered for confounding.
Discussion: The strength of this study is the comparison of two large cohorts with different footwear habits to
determine long-term effects of being habitually barefoot on foot mechanics and motor performance
Description
CITATION: Hollander, K. et al. 2016. The effects of being habitually barefoot on foot mechanics and motor performance in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years : study protocol for a multicenter crosssectional study (Barefoot LIFE project). Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 9:36, doi:10.1186/s13047-016-0166-1.
The original publication is available at https://jfootankleres.biomedcentral.com
The original publication is available at https://jfootankleres.biomedcentral.com
Keywords
Barefoot, Foot -- Anatomy, Foot -- Mechanical properties, Footwear, Biomechanics
Citation
Hollander, K. et al. 2016. The effects of being habitually barefoot on foot mechanics and motor performance in children and adolescents aged 6–18 years : study protocol for a multicenter crosssectional study (Barefoot LIFE project). Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 9:36, doi:10.1186/s13047-016-0166-1.