RESUMO
Background: Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain requiring medical attention. The clear understanding of the long-term impact routine footwear has on plantar fasciitis is essential as any slight changes in shoe selection could possibly prevent the wearer from substantial discomfort and disability. Thus this study was planned to investigate impact of routine footwear on foot health by highlighting different features of the shoes worn daily by the people having plantar fasciitis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the orthopedics' outpatient department of a tertiary-care hospital in Pakistan. Data was collected using non-probability convenient sampling from 101 people diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Their routine footwear was categorized as appropriate or inappropriate on basis of heel height, sole thickness, and insole type (hard/cushioned/arched). Data were collected using a self-designed questionnaire and analysed by applying descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests. Results: The majority (83.2%) of the people wear inappropriate shoes, whereas only 16.8% wear the recommended shoes, i.e., with heel height between 0.5-4 cm, thick soles, and arched or cushioned insoles. About 82.2% of plantar fasciitis patients reported wearing shoes of minimal heel height and 55.5% wore shoes with hard, non-cushioned insole without built-in arch support. Participants who wear inappropriate shoes experience more severe heel pain (P 0.013) which limits their daily activities. Conclusions: Footwear plays an important role in causing plantar fasciitis as the majority of the diagnosed cases wear inappropriate shoes with minimal heel height, thin sole, and hard insole without any built-in arch support.
RESUMO
Background. The biomedical care for cancer has not been complemented by psychosocial progressions in cancer care. Objectives. To find the prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst cancer patients in a hospital setting. Design and Setting. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the tertiary care hospitals Shifa International Hospital Islamabad and Nuclear Medicine, Oncology, and Radiotherapy Institute [NORI]. Patients and Methods. 300 patients were interviewed from both the outpatient and inpatient department using The Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS). Main Outcome Measures. Using a score of 20 and above on the AKUADS, 146 (48.7%) patients were suffering from anxiety and depression. Results. When cross tabulation was done between different factors and the cancer patients with anxiety and depression, the following factors were found out to be significant with associated p value < 0.05: education of the patient, presence of cancer in the family, the severity of pain, and the patient's awareness of his anxiety and depression. Out of 143 (47.7%) uneducated patients, 85 (59.4%) were depressed, hence making it the highest educational category suffering from depression and anxiety. Conclusion. The prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst cancer patients was high showing that importance should be given to screening and counseling cancer patients for anxiety and depression, to help them cope with cancer as a disease and its impact on their mental wellbeing. Limitations. The frequency of female patients in our research was higher than those of male patients.
