Abstract
ObjectiveDespite the potential burden of foot pain, some of the most fundamental epidemiologic questions surrounding the foot remain poorly explored. The prevalence of foot pain has proven to be difficult to compare across existing studies due to variations in case definitions. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of foot pain in several international population‐based cohorts using original data and to explore differences in the case definitions used.MethodsFoot pain variables were examined in 5 cohorts: the Chingford 1000 Women Study, the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, the Framingham Foot Study, the Clinical Assessment Study of the Foot, and the North West Adelaide Health Study. One question about foot pain was chosen from each cohort based on its similarity to the American College of Rheumatology pain question.ResultsThe precise definition of foot pain varied between the cohorts. The prevalence of foot pain ranged from 13% to 36% and was lowest in the cohort in which the case definition specific to pain was used, compared to the 4 remaining cohorts in which a definition included components of pain, aching, or stiffness. Foot pain was generally more prevalent in women and obese individuals and generally increased with age, with the prevalence being much lower in younger participants (ages 20–44 years).ConclusionFoot pain is common and is associated with female sex, older age, and obesity. Estimates of the prevalence of foot pain are likely to be affected by the case definition used. Therefore, in future population studies, the use of consistent measures of data collection must be considered.
Highlights
Foot pain has been identified as an independent risk factor for locomotor disability [1], impaired balance [2], increased risk of falls [3,4], loss of independence, and reduced quality of life [5]
The secondary aim was to consider potential reasons for differences in pain across geographic locations according to important factors such as age, sex, body mass index (BMI), race, selection bias in each cohort, and measurement bias
| 667 for other races were available within the Clinical Assessment Study of the Foot, the prevalence of foot pain was highest in African Americans (38% compared to only 10% in Asian participants); the numbers of these participants were small, and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were wide
Summary
Despite the potential burden of foot pain, some of the most fundamental epidemiologic questions surrounding the foot remain poorly explored. The prevalence of foot pain has proven to be difficult to compare across existing studies due to variations in case definitions. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of foot pain in several international population-b ased cohorts using original data and to explore differences in the case definitions used
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