Steel toe cap boot usage and the prevalence to plantar fasciitis among industrial workers / Nurul Syuhada Mazlan

Nurul Shuhadah, Mazlan (2018) Steel toe cap boot usage and the prevalence to plantar fasciitis among industrial workers / Nurul Syuhada Mazlan. Masters thesis, University of Malaya.

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Abstract

Introduction: Steel toe cap boot (STCB) is used as a personal protective equipment in many industries. STCB have an addition of steel plates for the toe and sole resulting it to be heavier shoes, which may leads to pain and discomfort for the users. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and associated factors for plantar fasciitis (PF) among STCB users. Methods: A consent letter were sent to the respective company to gain cooperation before the commencement of this research. This is a cross-sectional study using a selfadministered questionnaire to assess symptoms of PF and associate factors among STCB users. Universal sampling were use to choose respondants. The questionnaire comprises of four parts: worker’s profile, steel toe cap boot usage, foot pain and symptoms of PF. Hard copies were delivered to four industries. A total of 253 workers from four industries: construction (39.9%), manufacturing (25.3%), oil and gas (14.6%) and shipbuilding (20.2%) participated in the study. Raw data were collected and analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Results: The result revealed 49.8% (n=125) of STCB users reported heel pain with 39.4% (n=100) having symptoms suggestive of plantar fasciitis. Manufacturing workers have the highest prevalence of plantar fasciitis among all four industries (62.5%, n=40). The factors that were associated with plantar fasciitis after taking age, gender and body mass index into consideration were walking (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.833; 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI): 1.637 to 4.905), manufacturing workers (OR=10.579; 95%CI: 4.056 to 27.594), construction workers (OR=4.819; 95%CI: 1.931 to 12.030), change of boots more than once per year (OR=3.462; 95%CI: 1.991 to 6.020) and self-purchased STCB (OR=0.392; 95%CI: 0.200 to 0.770). Conclusion: The prevalence of plantar fasciitis among STCB is high. It is found to be higher in certain industries and also lower among those who purchased their own STCB.

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