Major 5 year project into children’s foot health attracts £1.5M in funding
Tuesday 5 January 2016
Children’s foot health looks set for a boost with research teams at the Universities of Salford and Brighton attracting £1.5M from the William M. Scholl Endowment Fund.
Professor Chris Nester (Salford) and Dr Stewart Morrison (Brighton) will jointly lead the ambitious ‘SMALL STEPS’ research programme that starts in spring 2016.
Professor Chris Nester of the University of Salford is leading work on how the foot develops as children start to walk independently. “These developmental milestones typically occur between 6 and 18 months of age and bearing weight drives many changes in the feet and legs. We want to understand the fundamental relationship between these milestones and how our feet develop into the shapes they do.”
Research led by Dr Stewart Morrison of the University of Brighton, will focus on understanding the beliefs of parents and health care professionals with regard to children foot health, and the factors that influence these. Dr Morrison says “there are some fundamental gaps in our understanding of where parents get their knowledge on foot health, what concerns them, and how health professionals might provide appropriate support. This is very timely because of the increasing emphasis on prevention rather than cure of diseases in adulthood. Getting evidence based public foot health messages to parents should be a great way to prevent future problems”.
Data will be collected on children between Manchester and Brighton over 3 years.
The teams will work closely with clinicians from a wide range of disciplines, including health visitors, paediatricians, surgeons, physiotherapists and podiatrists. Members of the footwear industry will be involved through stakeholder groups, including leading children’s footwear and high-street retailers. Support from European and International partners will support the global reach of the project.
The funding comes from William M. Scholl Endowment Fund, a charity focussed specifically on advancing foot health research and education in the UK. The fund is part of Central and North West London NHS Trust. Director Dr Brain Ellis said “SMALL STEPS marks a new chapter for the Fund, elevating its impact and reach. We look forward to the formal launch of the project in March next year“.
Contact:
Dr Stewart Morrison, University of Brighton: S.C.Morrison@brighton.ac.uk
Professor Chris Nester, University of Salford: c.j.nester@salford.ac.uk
For project updates follow SMALL STEPS on Twitter @childfootstudy
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