Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district Beijing

Abstract Objective To estimate the prevalence of flatfoot and to analyze the gender difference of plantar pressure in third-year high school students in Tongzhou District Beijing. Methods From March 2019 to March 2021, 1217 third-year high school students in Tongzhou District, Beijing were tested fo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jiangtao Shen, Chunxue Xue, Xibo Liu, Feng Liang, Boyuan Fan, Zhengang Lv
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08634-8
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849713030142623744
author Jiangtao Shen
Chunxue Xue
Xibo Liu
Feng Liang
Boyuan Fan
Zhengang Lv
author_facet Jiangtao Shen
Chunxue Xue
Xibo Liu
Feng Liang
Boyuan Fan
Zhengang Lv
author_sort Jiangtao Shen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective To estimate the prevalence of flatfoot and to analyze the gender difference of plantar pressure in third-year high school students in Tongzhou District Beijing. Methods From March 2019 to March 2021, 1217 third-year high school students in Tongzhou District, Beijing were tested for plantar pressure. The prevalence of flatfoot was calculated and related plantar pressure parameters were analyzed, including contact area and plantar pressure. The differences of plantar pressure parameters between different genders were analyzed. Results The prevalence of flatfoot among third-year high school students in Tongzhou District, Beijing was 5.5% (95% CI: 4.3–6.7%), among which, the prevalence of flatfoot among boys was 5.3% (95% CI: 3.8–6.8%) and that among girls was 5.9% (95% CI: 3.9–7.9%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of flatfoot among different genders (P = 0.326), and the left and right foot types were basically the same. The mean BMI of the study population was 22.6 ± 3.4 kg/m², with males having a slightly higher mean BMI (23.1 ± 3.6 kg/m²) compared to females (21.9 ± 3.0 kg/m²). In static phase, there were statistically significant differences in contact area, plantar pressure at great toe, plantar pressure at 2nd − 5th toe, plantar pressure at 2nd − 4th metatarsal, and plantar pressure at middle foot(P < 0.05) between male students and female students. In dynamic phase, there were significant differences in contact area, plantar pressure at great toe, plantar pressure at 2nd − 5th toe and plantar pressure at 5th metatarsal (P < 0.05). Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that while flatfoot prevalence is similar between genders in third-year high school students, significant gender-specific differences exist in plantar pressure distribution patterns. These differences persist in both static and dynamic phases, with potential implications for gender-specific foot health assessment and preventive interventions. Understanding these patterns may help in early detection of foot abnormalities and implementation of appropriate interventions to prevent long-term biomechanical issues in this age group.
format Article
id doaj-art-552c1dd4bfb64034aaf0e97ef163656d
institution DOAJ
issn 1471-2474
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
spelling doaj-art-552c1dd4bfb64034aaf0e97ef163656d2025-08-20T03:14:05ZengBMCBMC Musculoskeletal Disorders1471-24742025-04-012611910.1186/s12891-025-08634-8Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district BeijingJiangtao Shen0Chunxue Xue1Xibo Liu2Feng Liang3Boyuan Fan4Zhengang Lv5Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedics, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical UniversityAbstract Objective To estimate the prevalence of flatfoot and to analyze the gender difference of plantar pressure in third-year high school students in Tongzhou District Beijing. Methods From March 2019 to March 2021, 1217 third-year high school students in Tongzhou District, Beijing were tested for plantar pressure. The prevalence of flatfoot was calculated and related plantar pressure parameters were analyzed, including contact area and plantar pressure. The differences of plantar pressure parameters between different genders were analyzed. Results The prevalence of flatfoot among third-year high school students in Tongzhou District, Beijing was 5.5% (95% CI: 4.3–6.7%), among which, the prevalence of flatfoot among boys was 5.3% (95% CI: 3.8–6.8%) and that among girls was 5.9% (95% CI: 3.9–7.9%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of flatfoot among different genders (P = 0.326), and the left and right foot types were basically the same. The mean BMI of the study population was 22.6 ± 3.4 kg/m², with males having a slightly higher mean BMI (23.1 ± 3.6 kg/m²) compared to females (21.9 ± 3.0 kg/m²). In static phase, there were statistically significant differences in contact area, plantar pressure at great toe, plantar pressure at 2nd − 5th toe, plantar pressure at 2nd − 4th metatarsal, and plantar pressure at middle foot(P < 0.05) between male students and female students. In dynamic phase, there were significant differences in contact area, plantar pressure at great toe, plantar pressure at 2nd − 5th toe and plantar pressure at 5th metatarsal (P < 0.05). Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that while flatfoot prevalence is similar between genders in third-year high school students, significant gender-specific differences exist in plantar pressure distribution patterns. These differences persist in both static and dynamic phases, with potential implications for gender-specific foot health assessment and preventive interventions. Understanding these patterns may help in early detection of foot abnormalities and implementation of appropriate interventions to prevent long-term biomechanical issues in this age group.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08634-8FlatfootPrevalencePlantar pressureThird-year high school studentsGender
spellingShingle Jiangtao Shen
Chunxue Xue
Xibo Liu
Feng Liang
Boyuan Fan
Zhengang Lv
Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district Beijing
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Flatfoot
Prevalence
Plantar pressure
Third-year high school students
Gender
title Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district Beijing
title_full Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district Beijing
title_fullStr Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district Beijing
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district Beijing
title_short Prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third-year high school students in Tongzhou district Beijing
title_sort prevalence of flatfoot and gender differences in plantar pressure among third year high school students in tongzhou district beijing
topic Flatfoot
Prevalence
Plantar pressure
Third-year high school students
Gender
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08634-8
work_keys_str_mv AT jiangtaoshen prevalenceofflatfootandgenderdifferencesinplantarpressureamongthirdyearhighschoolstudentsintongzhoudistrictbeijing
AT chunxuexue prevalenceofflatfootandgenderdifferencesinplantarpressureamongthirdyearhighschoolstudentsintongzhoudistrictbeijing
AT xiboliu prevalenceofflatfootandgenderdifferencesinplantarpressureamongthirdyearhighschoolstudentsintongzhoudistrictbeijing
AT fengliang prevalenceofflatfootandgenderdifferencesinplantarpressureamongthirdyearhighschoolstudentsintongzhoudistrictbeijing
AT boyuanfan prevalenceofflatfootandgenderdifferencesinplantarpressureamongthirdyearhighschoolstudentsintongzhoudistrictbeijing
AT zhenganglv prevalenceofflatfootandgenderdifferencesinplantarpressureamongthirdyearhighschoolstudentsintongzhoudistrictbeijing