title: Use of footwear and foot condition among rural Ethiopian school children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether shoe-wearing affords foot protection among school children living in southern Ethiopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collectors conducted a standardized foot assessment with children in an elementary school in southern Ethiopia (N=168).
  
  
  RESULTS
  54% reported wearing shoes consistently in the prior three days. Children wearing closed-toed shoes showed less adherent soil and toe nail dystrophy than those wearing open-toed sandals. There were no differences by shoe type with regard to signs of foot trauma or heel fissures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Shoe wearing provided limited foot protection. Interventions are needed to build behavioral skills, including foot washing and wearing appropriate shoes that maximize foot protection.
authors.affiliation: Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, United States.
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, United States. Electronic address: cmmcbri@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Colleen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.affiliation: College of Social Science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Abebayehu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tora
authors.affiliation: College of Social Science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Desta A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ayode
authors.affiliation: People Designs Inc., Durham, NC, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.affiliation: Brighten and Sussex Medical School, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012775:Shoes / Q000009:adverse effects*
keywords: Assessment; Children; Footwear; Prevention