Mickle Karen J, Steele Julie R, Munro Bridget J
Biomechanics Research Laboratory, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
J Pediatr Orthop. 2008 Jul-Aug;28(5):593-6. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0b013e318173f782.
Although boys are frequently reported to have flatter feet than girls, there has been little systematic research to confirm or explain this structural difference between the genders. The objective of this study was to determine whether flat-footedness was moderated by gender in Australian preschool children and, if so, to determine the cause of this between-gender difference in structure of the plantar surface of the foot.
Foot anthropometry, Arch Index derived from plantar footprints, and midfoot plantar fat pad thickness measured by ultrasound were obtained for the left and right feet of 52 girls and 36 boys (mean age, 4.2 +/- 0.6 years). The children were recruited from 10 randomly selected preschools from the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
In agreement with previous research, the preschool boys displayed significantly flatter feet than the girls (P < or = 0.04). Although there were no between-gender differences in structural foot dimensions, the boys had a significantly thicker midfoot fat pad than the girls by approximately 0.4 and 0.5 mm on both the right and left feet, respectively.
The increased incidence of flat-footedness in boys compared with girls of the same age seems to be caused by a thicker plantar fat pad in the medial midfoot in boys. This suggests that the development of the medial longitudinal arch may be progressing at a slower rate in boys than in girls, and that intervention for a flexible flat foot, particularly for young boys, may be unnecessary.
尽管经常有报道称男孩的足弓比女孩更扁平，但很少有系统研究来证实或解释这种性别之间的结构差异。本研究的目的是确定在澳大利亚学龄前儿童中扁平足是否受性别影响，若有影响，则确定这种性别之间足底表面结构差异的原因。
对52名女孩和36名男孩（平均年龄4.2±0.6岁）的左右脚进行足部人体测量、从足底足迹得出足弓指数以及用超声测量足中部足底脂肪垫厚度。这些儿童是从澳大利亚新南威尔士州伊拉瓦拉地区随机挑选的10所幼儿园招募的。
与先前研究一致，学龄前男孩的足弓明显比女孩更扁平（P≤0.04）。尽管足部结构尺寸在性别之间没有差异，但男孩的足中部脂肪垫明显比女孩厚，左右脚分别厚约0.4毫米和0.5毫米。
与同龄女孩相比，男孩扁平足发生率较高似乎是由男孩足中部内侧较厚的足底脂肪垫所致。这表明男孩内侧纵弓的发育速度可能比女孩慢，对于柔韧性扁平足，尤其是年幼男孩，可能无需进行干预。
