Musculoskeletal problems and attitudes towards footwear among university students.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Footwear preferences and habits may be related to musculoskeletal system problems. This study was designed to determine the relationship between the selection of footwear, musculoskeletal problems and the affecting factors among university students from that different division.

METHODS: Four hundred and sixty-six university students in the divisions of Physiotherapy Rehabilitation, Nursing and Business Administration participated in this study. The data was collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers and the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.

RESULTS: Of the participants, 68.5% preferred to wear sports shoes; 24.0% of the participants had foot pain. Comfort, robustness and quality come to the fore in the behavioural patterns of young and healthy individuals regarding footwear. Those who experienced foot and lower back pain considered such parameters as quality, fitness for foot health, flexibility and lightness in footwear.

CONCLUSIONS: While patterns such as foot health, flexibility and lightness are reflected in the footwear preferences of those who have lower back pain, those who have pain or problems in their feet take into consideration the quality, lightness, fitness to foot health. The relationship determined in the present study shows that those who experience pain are more selective in their footwear preferences.