Table 1.
A summary of the studies examined relating to the development of foot length and width.
| Author | Study Type | Participants & Age Range | Mean Age (±SD) | Measures | Main Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volpon et al. [29] | Cross-sectional | 338 boys 334 girls 0–15 years |
N/A | Plantar surface length | From infancy until 12 years old, there was no significant difference in foot length growth in boys and girls. After the age of 12, girls’ growth plateaued, whilst the boys continued to grow. The highest increase in foot length was until the age of 3 (mean ≈ 5.3 cm of growth). |
| Bosch et al. [19] | Longitudinal | 16 boys 20 girls 0–10 years |
14.6 ± 1.8 months 122.8 ± 2 months |
Foot length | A continuous increase in foot length between the ages of 1 and 10 years. Foot length did not differ significantly between boys and girls between 1 and 10 years old. |
| Gould et al. [25] | Longitudinal | 107 boys and girls 1–5 years |
N/A | Foot length Foot width |
Children’s feet grow in growth spurts, and these can take place at different ages. 54% of toddlers aged 1 and younger required a shoe change every 2 months or less. 40% of 1- to 2-year-olds needed a shoe change every 2–3 months. The growth rate slows down from the ages of 2 to 5, and the children require a shoe change every 4 months or longer. |
| Mickle et al. [21] | Cross-sectional | 36 boys 52 girls 3–5 years |
4.2 ± 0.6 years | Foot length Foot width |
Foot length (B: 16.2 ± 1 cm; G: 15.6 ± 1.2 cm). Foot width (B: 6.6 ± 0.3 cm; G: 6.5 ± 0.4 cm). No gender differences in normalised foot length (p = 0.015). |
| Cheng et al. [32] | Cross-sectional | 1408 boys 1421 girls 3–18 years |
N/A | Foot length Foot width |
Foot length increased in boys between age 3 and 18 (3 years: 15.6 ± 0.8 cm; 18 years: 25.8 ± 1.5 cm). Foot length increased in girls between age 3 and 17 (3 years: 15.3 ± 0.9 cm; 17 years: 23.4 ± 1.3 cm). Foot width increased in boys aged between 3 and 17 (B 3 years: 5.8 ± 0.3 cm; B 17 years: 9.4 ± 0.3 cm and girls aged 3 to 13; G 3 years 5.9 ± 0.3 cm; G 13 years: 8.3 ± 0.5 cm). A more rapid growth rate in length was witnessed in boys between the ages of 3 to 15 compared to girls (plateaued at 25.3 cm and 2.5 cm longer than girls). |
| Bari et al. [27] | Cross-sectional | 129 boys 174 girls 5–6 years |
N/A | Plantar surface length and width | Boys had longer feet than girls (B: 17.8 ± 1 cm; G: 17.8 ± 1. cm). Boys had wider feet than girls (B: 7.2 ± 0.5 cm; G: 7.1 ± 0.5 cm). Children aged 6 years had larger foot measurements than 5-year-olds. |
| Chen et al. [26] | Cross-sectional | 549 boys 475 girls 5–13 years |
N/A | Foot length Foot width |
Foot length (B: 21 ± 2.1 cm; G: 20.7 ± 2.2 cm). Foot width (B: 8.8 ± 0.8 cm; G: 7.9 ± 0.8 cm). |
| Müller et al. [28] | Cross-sectional | 3738 boys 4050 girls 1–13 years |
7.2 ± 2.9 years | Foot length Foot width |
Foot length increased with age (1 year: 13.1 ± 1.6 cm; 13 years: 24.4 ± 3 cm). Foot width increased with age (infants: 5.7 ± 0.8 cm; 13 years: 8.9 ± 1.3 cm). |
| Morrison et al. [18] | Cross-sectional | 90 boys 110 girls 9–12 years |
N/A | Foot length Foot width |
From the ages of 10–12 years old, boys usually had longer and wider feet than girls. An increase in foot length and width was present between the ages of 9 and 12 years. Foot length (age 12; B: 23.4 ± 1.2 cm; G: 23.2 ± 1.3 cm). Foot width (age 9; B: 7.9 ± 0.5 cm; G: 8.1 ± 0.5 cm). |
| Xu et al. [31] | Cross-sectional | 1252 boys 1274 girls 13–18 years |
N/A | Foot length Foot width |
Length measurements increased significantly between 13 and 14 years in boys (13 years: 24.6 ± 1.3 cm; 14 years: 25 ± 1.3 cm) and 14–15 years in girls (14 years: 23.2 ± 0.9 cm; 15 years: 23.7 ± 1 cm). Length and width measurements plateaued by the age of 15 in girls and 16 in boys. |
| Waseda et al. [20] | Cross-sectional | 5311 boys 4844 girls 6–18 years |
N/A | Foot length | Foot length in boys increased significantly with age and almost plateaued at 14 years (6 years: 18.4 ± 1 cm; 14 years: 25.1 ± 1.1 cm; p < 0.01). Foot length in girls increased significantly with age and almost plateaued at 13 years (6 years: 18.1 ± 0.9 cm; 13 years: 23.1 ± 1 cm). |
| Delgado-Abellán et al. [23] | Cross-sectional | 497 boys 534 girls 6–12 years |
N/A | Foot length Foot width |
The biggest difference between girls and boys foot length was present between the ages of 8–10 years. (B 8 years: 21.2 ± 1.1 cm; G 8 years: 20.6 ± 1.1 cm; B 10 years: 23 ± 1.2 cm; G 10 years: 22.6 ± 1.4 cm). No gender differences were seen in normalised foot length. Gender differences in normalised foot width. |
| Xu et al. [30] | Cross-sectional | 1240 boys 1303 girls 7–12 years |
N/A | Foot length Foot width |
Boys had significantly longer feet than girls aged 12 (B: 24.1 ± 13.2 cm; G: 23 ± 9.4 cm; p < 0.05; ES > 0.8). Foot length and body height were linearly associated with each other. The most prominent growth rate in foot length for girls occurred at 7–8 (5.3%) and 8–9 years (5.2%). The most notable growth rate in foot length for boys occurred at 8–9 (5.6%) and 10–11 years (6%). |
| Blais et al. [22] | Longitudinal | 285 boys 227 girls 1–18 years |
N/A | Foot length | The highest growth rate was seen through infancy to 5 years old (B 1 years: 10.9 cm; G 1 years: 10.5 cm; B 5 years: 19.2 cm; G 5 years: 18.9 cm). An annual increase of 0.9 cm was seen from 5 years until 12 years in girls and 5 years until 14 years in boys. At the age of 12, the average length of the foot was similar in boys and girls (23.5 cm and 23.2 cm, respectively). After the age of 12, boys feet continued to grow until the age of 16 (an increase of 2.7 cm). After 12 years old, girls’ feet slowly continued to grow until 14 years (a rise of 0.8 cm). |
| Anderson et al. [24] | Longitudinal | 285 boys 227 girls 1–18 years |
N/A | Foot length | The growth rate was fastest until the age of 5 years old (B 1 years: 11.9 cm; B 5 years: 17.3 cm; G 1 years: 11.9 cm; G 5 years: 17.1 cm). Annual growth of 0.9 cm was seen between the ages of 1 and 5 years. Under the age of 13, the mean foot length in girls and boys was similar; however, girls usually had slightly shorter feet. Girls’ feet grew very little after age 12 (0.7 cm on average); however, boys feet grew 2.6 cm on average after age 12. 75% of girls’ feet had reached mature length by age 14. 70% of boys’ feet had reached mature length by age 16. Boys’ feet were about 2.5 cm longer than girls at the end of growth. |
Abbreviations: B—Boys; G—Girls; N/A—Not Available.