Abstract:
Introduction: Pes planus is an orthostatic (postural) deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole coming into contact with the floor. Since feet are the foundation for the body, flat feet can cause instability throughout the skeletal structure and can distort the alignment of the joints. However, there is a dearth of research on the magnitude of pes planus and its associated factors among school-aged children in Ethiopia. So that this study aimed to assess the magnitude of pes planus and its associated factors among public primary school children at Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia, 2021.
Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used for data collection and the footprints were used to calculate the plantar arch index (PI). A stratified multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the study participants. The data were entered into Epi data version 4.6 and exported to STATA version 15 for further analysis and management. Descriptive statistics were computed. Independent variables with a P-value ≤ of 0.25 in the binary logistic regression analysis were entered into multivariable logistic regression. AOR (adjusted odds ratio) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. Statistical significance was declared at P-value < 0.05.
Result: Out of 1022 participants, 105 ((10.27%) 95%CI 8.5-12) had pes planus. Males (AOR = 2; 95% CI: 1.22-3.30), living in highland (AOR = 8.83; 95% CI: 4.64-16.79), midland altitude (AOR: 3.32; 95%CI: 1.75-6.29) urban residents (AOR = 2.42; 95%CI: 1.15-5.09), doing insufficient physical activity (AOR = 8.78; 95%CI: 4.42-12.3), wearing closed-toe shoes (AOR = 2.33; 95%CI: 1.27-4.28), and overweight and obese (AOR = 6.30; 95%CI: 3.31- 11.9), having foot pain (AOR: 3.52; 95%CI: 2.08-6.27) had showed statistically significant association with pes planus.
Conclusion and recommendation: The magnitude of pes planus in the study was 10.27% which is relatively lower. Actions need to be taken to curb the problems by taking integrated interventions for children like encouraging having sufficient physical activity, people living in high altitudes should increase sun exposure and more vitamin D rich foods in their daily diet, wearing sandals, maintaining a healthy body mass index.
