Quality of life impact related to foot health in a sample of sea workers

Background: People working at sea show a marked presence of musculoskeletal pain as well as an important coexistence of pain in diverse anatomical regions, which is believed to have a harmful effect on the quality of life related to foot health. The aim is to describe and compare the impact in a sample of sea workers and people who work on the ground in the light of the scores obtained with regard foot health and health in general. Methods: A sample of 94 participants of a mean age of 41.29 +/- 10.603 came to a health centre where self-reported data were registered, informants' professional activity was determined and the scores obtained were compared in the Foot Health Status Questionnaire. Results: The sea workers group showed a worse quality of life related to health in general and to foot health specifically. Differences between the two groups were evaluated by means of a t-test for independent samples, showing statistical significance (P < 0.05) for the dimensions of pain and general health related to the foot. Conclusions: People working at sea present a negative impact on the quality of life related to foot health, which appears to be associated with the presence of deformities, sprains, plantar warts and fungus. (C) 2015 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.