Research on Growing Progress of Foot Size to Improve Appellation of Shoe Sizes

Abstract: This study aims to categorize age groups for shoes manufacturing including shoes size and boot tree devel-opment for Koreans. In order to carry out the research, the characteristics of different parts of foot in relation to size are analyzed according to age and sex, making use of human body measurement database. As a result of statistical analysis, it was found that the measurement items such as foot length, metatarsal tibiale, foot breadth and instep circumference of a person reached the range of standard deviation and average numerical figures of an adult group (18-24) from the age of 14 in men's case, and from 12 for women's case, which indicates the time of completion of their foot growth. Based on these findings where males of 14 years old and females of 12 are within similar measurement range to adults, it is necessary to categorize the age groups for shoe sizing system into the following four groups: males 13 years old or under, males 14 years old or over, females 11 years or under, and females 12 years or over. The proportional measurement pro-duced by dividing each measurement item of foot parts by foot length was compared in an independent samples t-test, and there were meaningful differences according to different foot shapes of the two age groups of males 13 or under-males 14 or over, and females 11 or under- females 12 or over. Also, the independent samples t-test for the age groups of males 13 or under- females 11 or under, and males 14 or over- female 12 or over, showed similar meaningful dif-ferences, which indicates the differences in foot shapes of male and female during the period of growth. Key words: shoes sizing system(신 발 사이즈), foot size(발치수), foot shape(발형태), growing progress(성 장 추이)