The relationship between body mass index and plantar pressures of the elderly

Abstract

This paper approaches the relationship between obesity and foot disorders, an important topic in designing and producing preventive or palliative strategies to improve the quality of life for the elders. In spite the growth of old people, they are constrained to accept the footwear that the market is offering, which doesn't meet their special requirements in case of feet parameters. The analyzed sample consisted in 67 women, aged between 52-84 years old. By comparing the values of body mass index for the analyzed group it is demonstrated that with age, the weight increases for a significant number of women, going from overweight to obese. The authors performed as well, a descriptive statistics and a Pearson correlation between the body mass index and several plantar footprints parameters obtained in a previous research. As an important instrument, the body mass index can be used by footwear producers to modify and customize the last and the elderly shoes. The results of this study are important in various stages of producing footwear, highly adapted to the needs of different pathologies for the elderly consumers.