Page 324 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design
P. 324
12
Foot morphological between
ethnic groups
Shaliza Mohd Shariff a,b,c,d , Amir Feisal Merican a,c,d , Asma Ahmad Shariff a,c,d
a
Centre of Research for Computational Sciences and Informatics in Biology, Bioindustry
Environment, Agriculture and Healthcare (CRYSTAL), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur,
b
Malaysia, Institute Graduate Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
c
Centre for Foundation Studies in Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
d
Fashion Department, Faculty of Art and Design, University Technology MARA,
Selangor, Malaysia
12.1 Introduction
Human foot shape differs among ethnic groups and individuals (Stankovi c et al., 2018;
Shu et al., 2015). Human foot shape is used as important measure to produce good-
fitting shoes that provide comfort (Kouchi, 1995). Previous studies have shown that
there exist anthropometric characteristics of adult foot between different ethnic groups
(Manna et al., 2001; Ahmed et al., 2013). Some indicated that ethnic or subgroups of
adults’ foot have differences in foot morphology (Chiroma et al., 2015; Jung et al.,
2001). Lee et al. (2015) reported that different ethnic groups tend to have different
foot shape characteristics. Since Malaysia is a multiracial and multiethnic country,
it is expected to show these differences in characteristics (Karmegam et al., 2011;
Joseph, 2014). Malaysian women have been found to have a unique foot shape as
the width and length of their feet are greater (Ibrahim and Khedifb, 2004).
Several studies have compared the characteristics of foot shape between ethnicity
such as Kouchi (1998), who analyzed foot shape characteristics to identify differences
based on ethnic background. These differences arise due to both genetic and environ-
mental factors. As we found significant differences in foot dimensions according to
the ethnic groups, it is vital to define Malaysian women’s foot dimension data to deter-
mine the proper shoe size for the shoe design. Furthermore, small differences in foot
shape must be incorporated into designing shoes to meet the requirement for shoe fit
comfort.
Previous study on dimension of foot stature by Singh et al. (2013) was performed at
the Lady Hardinge Medical College and Asst. Hospital, New Delhi. The results show
that foot length measurements are higher in comparison with foot breadth in women
(Singh et al., 2013).
A study by Karmegam et al. (2011) displayed evidence that Indian women had
longer foot length compared with Malaysian women. This study also determined
the differences in anthropometric data among the three ethnic groups in Malaysia
in complete body dimension. Meanwhile, among the three ethnic groups, Chinese
Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102604-5.00012-3
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.