A Study on Purchasing Practices, Wearing State and Overall Satisfaction with Footwear for Middle School Students

The purpose of this study is to provide useful footwear information for manufacturers and teenagers so that they can produce or purchase proper footwear that would minimize discomfort. For this study, 486 junior high school students were surveyed with a questionnaire. SPSS WIN10 was used to process a statistical analysis such as ferq., factor analysis, t-test, ANOVA(LSD), crosstab, and coefficient correlation. The results are as follows: A significant difference existed between male and female students in purchasing footwear and using evaluation criteria. When they wear shoes for a long time, they usually experience numbness in toes, blisters, heel, bottom on the feet and peeled skin. Female students experienced more foot injuries than males. There were meaningful correlations among purchasing, evaluation criteria, and satisfaction of footwear. Providing proper information is believed very important for teenagers in choosing right footwear. Footwear manufacturers should help them produce suitable shoes, and further help them establish different marketing strategies. To ease the foot discomfort, shoes should be developed with various widths and sizes. Shock absorbing soles and more flexible materials are also necessary.