Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
TURKIYE KLINIKLERI TIP BILIMLERI DERGISI, cilt.29, sa.5, ss.1253-1259, 2009 (SCI-Expanded)
Objective: Obesity, which shows ethnic differences, is a risk factor for many diseases. Of those, foot problems are salient. This study aims to examine the effects of obesity on foot structure in obese Turkish women and compares them with the measurements in controls. Material and Methods: This study included 100 obese and 84 non-obese women. Body mass index (BMI), percent body fat content (BF) and waist to hip circumference ratio (W[H) were measured to detect body fat mass and body fat distribution. Static weight-bearing ink footprints were taken from the right foot of each woman. Forefoot width and Footprint Angle were measured, and Chippaux-Smirak Index was calculated to evaluate foot structure. Results: Medians in controls were 22.91 (21.45-24.47) kg/m(2) for BMI; 34.30% (31.10%-36.57%) for BF; and 0.77 (0.74-0.79) for W/H and corresponding values for obese women were 35.32 (32.55-40.52) kg/m(2), 41.90% (39.60%-44.30%), and 0.82 (0.78-0.86), respectively. Non-obese women had higher BF than other populations. All parameters except age were different in obese women compared to controls. BMI increased with ageing in controls although it did not change in the obese group. However, median footprint angle showed normal arch foot type and median foot index displayed intermediary arch foot in both groups. In regression analysis, foot index and foot angle were related to only BMI in the obese group. There was no such correlation with foot parameters in the control group. Conclusion: Although excess body mass does not cause serious foot discomfort in obese women it may limit physical exercise. In addition, obesity can influence examination of foot impressions for example in a crime scene investigation.