Abstract

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Use of appropriate footwear among people suffering with diabetic foot complications has been well documented to play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of established foot diseases. The incidence and prevalence rates of diabetes in Africa are increasing and foot complications are rising parallel. However, there is a paucity of literature on the role of people suffering with diabetics in ensuring the use of appropriate footwear in the management of diabetic foot complications. This paper explores current practice in the use of appropriate footwear among patients with diabetes mellitus in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was carried out at different hospitals in Kaduna State. A self administered structured questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: Demographic and footwear questionnaire. The footwear questionnaire focused on three themes: Diabetic foot problems, type of footwear worn by diabetic patients frequently and the role of proper footwear fastening mechanism in the prevention of diabetic foot complications. The findings indicate that up to 77% females and 62% males’ respondents used footwear that do not have any form of fastening or are slip-on footwear. Lace-up shoes were used by 28% of the male participants and only 12% of female patients used a similar type of footwear. Footwear with fastening mechanism were the least popular type of footwear used by the research subjects. This study shows that the use of appropriate footwear in the management of diabetic foot complications in this part of the World is suboptimal.

Keywords: Diabetics, Foot complications, Footwear, Footwear fastening mechanism