Footwear experiences of people with chronic musculoskeletal diseases

Gordon J. Hendry, Angela Brenton-Rule, Georgina Barr, Keith Rome

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    9 Citations (Scopus)
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    Abstract

    Objective Foot pain and deformities are frequently reported by people with chronic musculoskeletal diseases, but only limited research has been conducted to explore the key issues concerning footwear difficulties in this population. The aim of this study is to explore, identify, and describe the main issues surrounding the footwear experiences of people with chronic musculoskeletal diseases. Methods A qualitative manifest content analysis of open-ended survey responses concerning footwear experiences was conducted from a national footwear survey of people with chronic musculoskeletal diseases in New Zealand. Eighty-five respondents submitted usable responses. Specific statements in the text were identified as units of analysis prior to coding and organizing these units into emerging mutually exclusive categories. Content analysis was independently undertaken by 3 researchers, and the final categories and coding were achieved through consensus. Frequencies of assigned units of analysis were calculated in order to obtain a quantitative description for each category. Results Four categories encompassing a total of 9 subcategories related to the footwear experiences of respondents emerged from the qualitative data content analysis: difficulty finding appropriate footwear; dissatisfaction with therapeutic footwear provision and foot care access; high costs of footwear, foot care, and self-care; and satisfaction with therapeutic footwear and foot care. Conclusion Key categories describing the important issues surrounding the footwear experiences of respondents with chronic musculoskeletal diseases were identified, which may provide important targets for improving footwear and foot care services and self-management strategies.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1164-1172
    Number of pages9
    JournalArthritis Care & Research
    Volume67
    Issue number8
    Early online date26 Jul 2015
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2015

    Keywords

    • musculoskeletal conditions
    • footwear
    • foot pain

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