Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the shape of the foot and foot abrasion. and to provide preliminary data for shoe manufacturing by comparing the length of a woman's feet and the shoe size. The Martin calibrator and measuring tapes were utilized to measure the shapes of 163 female college students' feet. Indirect measurements were also obtained by line drawing of the feet for additional analysis. Brief questionnaires about what type of shoes are worn were given to the subjects of the study. Data analysis was presented by frequency, percentage, and standard deviations. Factor analysis and correlation co-efficiency of data was conducted on the significance level of p〈.05. The results of the study are as follows (1) The average number of days per week in which the subjects wear ladies' shoes per week were 4.5. Little over half of the subjects (53.87% ) answered that they wear heeled shoes for more than 8 hours per day. The most preferred height of a ladies'shoe heel was between 2 cm and 4 cm, as replied by 41.0% of the subjects. (2) The foot area where abrasion occurs most often was around the heel (51.2%) and the middle part of the sole (50.9%) (3) Factors correlated to the heel abrasion included the circumference and the breadth of the foot. The abrasion on the side of the first toe of mid-sized feet was most affected by the angle of the first the and inner foot line. The height of the foot heel was a significant factor for the abrasion near the anklebone. In conclusion, the abrasion resulted from the inappropriate fitting of the shoe and the foot. Also, the circumference and the width factors were more influential rather than the foot length. Therefore, more database on this should be systemized and available to the footwear manufacturers and the customers for more practical use of shoe size and public education.