Reference values for foot morphological characteristics: a cross-sectional study of urban Chinese children aged 9-36 months.
This study establishes reference values for foot dimensions in urban Chinese children under three years, which can aid in early assessments of foot structure.
Where it sits
this study against the rest of the ghrp-6 corpusSummary and findings
This study measured foot morphological characteristics in 6,284 urban Chinese children aged 9-36 months. Key dimensions included foot length, width, calcaneal eversion angle, and arch index. The findings established sex-specific reference percentiles for these measurements.
Abstract
<h4>Background</h4>The first three years are critical for foot development, yet standardised assessments are lacking.<h4>Aim</h4>This study aimed to establish sex-specific reference percentiles for key foot dimensions in Chinese children under three years of age.<h4>Subjects and methods</h4>We recruited 6,284 children aged 9-36 months from a child health clinic in Xi'an, China. Foot length, width, calcaneal eversion angle, and the arch index were measured from static, weight-bearing images. Sex-specific percentile curves were constructed using the Generalised Additive Model for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS).<h4>Results</h4>Foot length, width, and arch index increased with age, whereas the foot width/length ratio and calcaneal eversion angle decreased. Median (P50) foot length increased from 11.29 cm to 15.07 cm in boys and from 10.95 cm to 14.76 cm in girls. Corresponding values for foot width were 5.37-6.50 cm (boys) and 5.15-6.30 cm (girls). The arch index rose from 0.04 to 0.18 (boys) and 0.06 to 0.23 (girls), while the foot width/length ratio declined from 47.45% to 43.04% (boys) and 47.03% to 42.51% (girls).<h4>Conclusion</h4>This study provides the first foot morphology reference standards for urban Chinese children under three years of age, offering essential data for early foot structure assessment in this population.