Science / Medicine : Going Barefoot Reported Healthful

Though bare feet are not likely to show up in offices or schools any time soon, going shoeless is healthier for the feet, according to an article published in a medical journal.

“Studies of non-shoe-wearing populations in Africa and Asia conclude that people who do not wear shoes have healthier feet, fewer deformities and have greater mobility than people in shoe-wearing societies,” said Lynn Staheli, an orthopedist at Children’s Hospital in Seattle.

Staheli wrote in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics that parents buying shoes for their children should select footwear based on the barefoot model and not necessarily shoes that “support” the foot.

“Shoes should be used to protect the feet from the environment but going shoeless allows the feet freedom to exercise,” Staheli said.