Original Article Factors Related to Prevalence of Hallux Valgus in Female University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Copyright © 2014 Hiroto Okuda et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: We investigated the prevalence of hallux valgus (HV) and examined its association with various factors in a cross-sectional study of Japanese female university students. Methods: A questionnaire survey of foot symptoms, lifestyle, and body mass index (BMI) was administered to 343 women who provided informed consent at a women’s university. Footprints were obtained and bone density was measured. Associations of HV with various factors were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Results: Big toe pain was reported in 26.5 % of the women. HV (HV angle, ≥15°) was present in the left foot in 22.4%, the right foot in 20.7%, and unilaterally or bilaterally in 29.7 % of women. Mild HV (HVangle, ≥15 ° to <20°) was noted in the left foot and right foot in 13.4 % and 13.1 % of women, respectively; no severe HV (HVangle, ≥40°) was observed. HV was associated with big toe pain (adjusted OR: 3.56, 95 % CI: 2.01–6.32), history of HV in the mother or maternal grandmother (adjusted OR: 2.45, 95 % CI: 1.19–5.02), and history of HV in other family members (adjusted OR: 3.09, 95 % CI: 1.35–7.06). Moderate HV was associated with big toe pain (adjusted OR: 4.58, 95 % CI: 2.17–9.66) and history of HV in the mother or maternal grandmother (adjusted OR: 3.36, 95 % CI: 1.40–8.07). The proportion of women with big toe pain increased significantly with HV severity. Conclusions: HV was present in about 30 % of female university students. Young women with big toe pain or a family history of HV should be evaluated for HV. Key words: hallux valgus; female university student; big toe pain; family history; cross-sectional surve