The footwear suitability scale: a measure of shoe-fit for people with diabetes

Footwear has been found to be a precipitating cause of injury leading to lower extremity ulceration and amputation in people with diabetes. This study determined footwear suitability in one hundred diabetic outpatients in south-east Queensland using ten criteria including the fit of the shoe and the ability of the shoe to prevent injury to the foot. Footwear suitability was analysed in the context of the price, place of purchase and quality of shoes purchased. In this study, overall shoe quality was poor. Over one quarter of all participants and one third of participants with peripheral neuropathy wore shoes that caused injury to their feet. The quality of footwear was directly related to the price of shoes and the place os shoe purchase. This study highlights footwear for people with diabetes.