title: Relationship between selected anthropometric variables and prevalence of flatfoot among urban and rural school children in south west Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Flat foot is a common reason for attendance at children's orthopaedic clinics. Its prevalence which varies from one population to the other has been reported to be influenced by various factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the effect of nutritional status as indicated by factors such as height, weight and BMI on the prevalence of flatfoot in school age children in urban and rural areas in south-western Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study involved 560 children with age range 6 to 12 years. They were divided into two groups; rural and urban. The demographic and anthropometric data of all the subjects was taken. Each subject's static footprint was taken on a white duplicating paper after which the instep was measured and the footprint classified into high arch, normal, flat or severe flat. The body mass index and nutritional status of each subject was calculated from the anthropometric data. Epi Info statistical package programme version 3.5.1 (2008) was used to analyse the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) prevalence of flatfoot between the rural dwelling (18.2%) and the urban dwelling (32.9%) children. Anthropometric measurements were significantly higher in urban than in rural children. Nutritional status of urban children was also significantly higher than that of the rural children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Flatfoot is more prevalent in school age children in urban area than in the rural area; age and body mass index being the primary predictors for flatfoot.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Lagos.
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Abolarin
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Aiyegbusi
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Tella
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Akinbo
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005413:Flatfoot / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*