Abstract
The dual purposes of this study were to investigate footwear worn by college students who have become spoilt for choice in apparel & shoes, and point out the problems of their shoe-wearing habbits. The survey was administered in October, 2010 to 600 college residents in Kwangju-Jeonnam area and the results are as follows. Firstly, the most frequently worn footware by males were sneakers, followed by dress shoes and oxford shoes. Females followed a similar trend with sneakers being the most frequently worn, followed by high heeled shoes, flat shoes, wedge high heeled shoes and chucker boots. Secondly, both male and female students thought that the most comfortable and favorable shoes for them were sneakers and the most uncomfortable ones were high-heeled shoes and sandals. They thought chucker boots were both fashionable and comfortable. Thirdly, the degree of unsatisfaction for shoes was relatively high and the influencing factors for unsatisfaction were uncomfortable soles, aches around the toes and a frontward leaning posture of the body, etc. Finally, 87% of the female subjects who had experience wearing high-heeled(over 7cm height) shoes showed a significant increase in foot disorders than those who had never worn high-heeled shoes. According to the results, it is necessary to educate proper selection and wearing of footwear in order to prevent foot disorders and maintain overall health of the body.
