Assessment of plantar arch index and prevalence of flat feet among students and farmers

The feet are the only part of the human body which is in direct contact with the ground. A change in the shape of the foot, which results in the foot losing its normal arch when standing, is referred to as flat foot. The aim of this study is to assess the plantar arch index and prevalence of flat feet among students and farmers aged 18-50. The study is a cross-sectional study using random sampling technique to select participants in Rivers State University and in Okporowo Ogbakiri. The participants were divided into 2 groups of farmers (60 females and 40 males) and students (60 females and 40 males) making a total of 220 participants, Staheli’s index was used to calculate the plantar arch index. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25.0. Descriptive statistics adopted descriptive statistical methods of measures of central tendency such as arithmetic mean, mean, standard error and percentage frequency. Inferential statistics of paired t-test was used for determining statistical differences. A total of 220 participants were recruited for this study 110 students and 110 farmers, 44 had flat foot giving a prevalence of 10.63%. The mean values of plantar arch index for male farmers were right=0.83 ± 0.24 left=0.77 ± 0.23, while on the female farmers the mean values were 0.74 ± 0.24 left=0.74 ± 0.25, mean values for female students were right= 0.72 ± 0.21 left=0.72 ± 0.21, while the males right=5.61 ± 0.54 left=0.85 ± 0.30. The prevalence of flat feet was more in students, and it was higher on the left side than on the right side of the leg. Therefore, it implies that occupation does affect the plantar arch index of a mature adult.