Study confirms four out of five preschoolers are wearing badly fitting shoes
Results released in June of 2005 from a study conducted by the Glasgow Caledonian University has revealed that 83% of preschoolers are wearing shoes that are too small, despite the risk of serious, long-term damage associated with ill-fitting shoes.
Consultant Paediatric Podiatrist and lecturer at the university Gordon Watt said, “Many parents grossly underestimate the importance of looking after their child’s feet while they are growing.
“Unlike adult feet, children’s feet grow. The study showed that children’s feet were at serious risk because they were contained in an environment that restricted their growing feet. Children are born with relatively soft and flexible cartilage which gradually converts to bone with age. As they are growing, their feet are vulnerable to injury and deformity due to ill-fitting footwear.”
Preschoolians, maker of shoes for children birth to five years of age, has long recognised and agreed that tight shoes are the number one issue with children’s footwear.
Jeffrey Silverman, Founder and CEO of Preschoolians and shoe inventor, says “Unfortunately tight shoes are a 'silent' cause of feet problems. Young children cannot tell us that their shoes are too tight and the age-old method of pressing on toes does not work. Preschoolers curl their toes when their toes are pressed on making it seem that shoes are larger than they are.”
Two-thirds of American adults have problems with their feet by the time they reach middle age. According to the US Government, 95% of these problems are caused by tight shoes during the preschool years.
Preschoolians has addressed this problem by inventing Visu-Fit, a clear panel on the bottom of its shoes, which allows a parent to see exactly how shoes fit. The company will also send a parent an e-mail 13 weeks after purchase to remind the parent to check the size and make sure their child’s feet are safe.
