National Foot Health Month Surveys Reveal Thousands Suffer Needlessly

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., March 30, 2000 /PRNewswire/ -- Two national surveys released in advance of National Foot Health Month indicate that a majority of Americans suffer unnecessarily from foot pain.

The studies - one directed to consumers, the other to podiatric physicians -- revealed that three-quarters of Americans experience some kind of foot pain, nearly half (43%) of those people do so every week, and almost a quarter of those people endure it every day. The consumer study shows that more than half the respondents (56%) believe that some foot pain is normal. The footcare experts at Dr Scholl's, co-sponsor of the survey, know differently. The study was also sponsored by Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (TUSPM), and conducted by International Communications Research (ICR).

"The fact is, while foot pain is prevalent, it isn't normal," says Dr. John H. Walter, Chairman of the Department of Podiatric Orthopedics and Medicine at TUSPM. "Thousands of people suffer from foot pain, but they don't have to," adds Dr. Walter.

"The good news," according to Dr. Walter, "is that people are becoming more attuned to the link between the foot and the rest of the body." Three quarters of the survey respondents (75%) agreed that there is a connection between foot pain and pain in the lower back, knees and shins.

This is supported by actual experience: the great majority of respondents (82%) who frequently experience foot pain said they have also experienced pain in these other body parts as well.

"So it's all the more perplexing that almost half of all respondents (44%) said they do not seek medical advice regarding foot health. There clearly is an action gap between what Americans know about foot health and the steps they take to support and improve it," says Dr. Walter.

The consumer survey queried more than 1,000 adults nationwide; the professional survey included a random sampling of 300 podiatrists. The surveys found that:

The Forgotten Appendage

-- A Hairy Issue -- When asked to rank the body parts that receive the most attention on a daily basis, 22% of consumers said they devoted the bulk of time to their hair, vs. only 9% who put their feet first.

-- Feet Don't Come First -- Asked which body part they tend to the most, feet ranked the low among consumers, with only 9% indicating that they spend the most time on them. Teeth ranked number one among 43% of respondents, followed by hair and face, favored by 22% and 17% of respondents respectively.

-- Meager Care Time -- The average amount of time consumers reported devoting to the care of their feet is a measly 1.2 hours per week (just a tad over 10 minutes a day). Even respondents who reported frequent foot pain said they spent less than 2 hours (1.7) per week on foot care.

The Politics of Feet

-- Bush Wins by a Foot -- Asked to select the presidential candidate they believe has logged the most mileage on his feet this year, the respondents elected George W. Bush.

-- Democrats Feel the Pain -- When it comes to foot pain, Democrats carried the day, with 40% reporting frequent pain, vs. only 15% of Republicans experiencing similar discomfort.

The Agony of the Feet

-- A Difference of Opinion -- The majority of podiatrists (58%) attributed foot pain to an "imbalance when walking" in contrast to the majority of consumers (64%), who blamed their pain on "improperly fitting shoes."

-- What is Normal? -- An overwhelming majority (77%) of podiatrists disagreed with the statement that "some foot pain is normal." Unfortunately, consumers are less well informed, with more than half (56%) agreeing with that statement.

-- Working Feet -- More than half (52%) of the consumer survey respondents felt that being a waiter or waitress is the toughest job for feet. Factory and postal workers were also considered to have non-foot-friendly jobs.

-- Foot Pain and Exercise -- Nearly one-third of all respondents said they experienced pain in their back, knees or shins after walking briskly or jogging for more than 20 minutes. Among those who exercise, 25% said they lost workout time due to foot, back, knee or shin pain or injuries.

The Geography of Feet

-- Barefoot in the City -- When asked to select the cities where they'd most like to go barefoot, an overwhelming majority (58%) picked Miami. Conversely, 57% chose New York City as the city where they'd least like to go barefoot. New York also won as the "toughest city on feet," selected by 46% of respondents.

-- Regionally Speaking -- Interestingly, among respondents who reported foot pain, 51% of those who live in the southern part of the U.S. reported feeling it on a daily or weekly basis. On the other hand, only 35% of respondents with foot pain from the western part of the country reported feeling pain daily or weekly. Westerners were also more attuned to foot-care, with 24% mentioning feet as one of the top two body parts they spend the most time on daily.

"Above all," says Dr. Walter, "the survey clearly shows that many Americans are not giving their feet the care and respect they deserve. After all, when it comes to enjoying life, our feet play a more important role than our hairstyle."

Dr. Scholl's products have been providing foot care and comfort to millions of feet for nearly a century. The Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine is one of the country's leading institutions for the study of diseases and disorders of the foot and ankle.

Dr Scholl's is a registered trademark of Schering-Plough Healthcare Products, Inc. of Memphis, Tenn., a subsidiary of Schering-Plough Corporation of Madison, NJ, a research-based company engaged primarily in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical and health care products worldwide.

The Footcare Health survey was conducted by International Communications Research between February 25 and March 8, 2000, as a telephone survey among a national sample of 1,017 adults, 18 years of age or older and 300 Podiatrists. For a survey of this size, the sampling error is +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level for the consumer portion and +/- 5.7% for the doctors.

SOURCE Dr. Scholl's

CO: Dr. Scholl's; International Communications Research