Purpose

To study the physical, emotional and social impact of clubfoot on the lives of affected children and their families.

Methods

A purposive sample of children with treated idiopathic clubfoot and their parents was recruited from two geographical locations—the United Kingdom (UK) and India. Children were divided into age groups of 5–7 and 8–11 years. Questionnaires were administered separately to children and parents; the former comprised multiple-choice questions scored using an ‘emoji’ system, and the latter included open-ended questions divided into pre-defined themes of daily limitations, social life, general health, emotional barriers and family impact.

Results

Thirty-four children and parents participated from UK; 96 children and parents participated from India. The majority of children (> 80%) reported no problems in daily activities, although 32.8% reported having pain. Difficulty finding appropriate footwear and limitation in sports were more common among UK children, whereas difficulty in squatting was more problematic for Indian children. Self and emotional perceptions regarding their appearance/condition were lower among older as compared to younger children in both countries. Parents’ responses mirrored those of children; additionally they reported emotional and financial difficulties during initial treatment phase, and ongoing concerns about the future during the maintenance phase.

Conclusion

Treated clubfoot continues to impact the lives of affected children and families. Perceptions of the condition and its impact vary between population groups; this needs to be appreciated when collecting and analysing outcomes.

中文翻译：

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马蹄内翻足对儿童及其家庭的影响：两种文化环境的视角

目的

研究马蹄足对受影响儿童及其家庭生活的身体、情感和社会影响。

方法

从英国和印度两个地理位置招募了患有特发性马蹄内翻足的儿童及其父母的有目的样本。儿童被分为5-7岁和8-11岁的年龄组。问卷分别向儿童和家长进行；前者包括使用“表情符号”系统评分的多项选择题，后者包括开放式问题，分为日常限制、社交生活、一般健康、情感障碍和家庭影响等预先定义的主题。

结果

来自英国的34名孩子和家长参加；来自印度的 96 名儿童和家长参加了活动。大多数儿童 (> 80%) 表示日常活动没有问题，但 32.8% 的儿童表示有疼痛。在英国儿童中，难以找到合适的鞋子和运动受到限制更为常见，而蹲下困难对印度儿童来说则更成问题。在这两个国家，与年幼的孩子相比，老年人对其外表/状况的自我和情感认知较低。家长的反应与孩子的反应一致。此外，他们报告了在初始治疗阶段的情感和经济困难，以及在维持阶段对未来的持续担忧。

结论

接受治疗的马蹄足继续影响受影响儿童和家庭的生活。不同人群对这种情况及其影响的看法有所不同；在收集和分析结果时需要认识到这一点。