Table 1 Themes and sub-themes generated from the interviews and focus group
Theme | Sub-theme |
|---|---|
Comfort/Pain management | Factor on which most shoe choices are based |
Physical ‘fit’ | |
Habit/familiarity | |
Wearing similar or same shoe almost every day | |
Enjoyment gone from shoes | |
Fashion | At odds with comfort |
Used to be important | |
Cost | High cost of shoes prohibitive |
Begrudges cost | |
People with disabilities are ‘exploited’/discriminated against in terms of footwear choices and costs | |
What they pay | |
Orthotics/specialist shoes | |
Identity | Sense of shoes not matching self/lifestyle |
Mental ‘fit’ | |
Medicalisation—don’t want to be seen as someone with a disability etc. | |
Pride, wellbeing and self-esteem | |
Unhappy with shoes/wishes could wear different shoes | |
Ageing | |
Gender | |
Image | Creating a ‘look’ or a brand/image |
Different outfits | |
Hates feet and having them on display | |
Minimise visibility of shoes | |
Colour | |
Occasions | ‘Appropriateness’ |
Formal shoes | |
Season/weather | |
Work | |
Socialising/leisure | |
Getting out and about | |
Shoe-shopping | Hard to find wide-fit shoes/shoes that fit |
Shoe shopping has to be planned now | |
Limited access to shops | |
Embarrassing/hates it | |
Prefer to shop online/catalogues or try shoes on at home | |
Staff lack knowledge to help | |
Peer pressure | |
What makes a healthy shoe? | |
Support from Podiatrists | Good support and advice |
Didn’t realise shoe advice part of pod role/never received it | |
Changing role of podiatrists/professionalisation | |
Training | |
What would help?/recommendations for toolkit and for changing footwear | Offer examples of specific brands |
Recognise patient as individual with individual needs | |
Get to know the patient and build rapport/build concordance | |
Understand mental wellbeing side of shoes/people’s feelings and emotions | |
LOCAL context—shops in area | |
Explain things more clearly | |
Show images of shoes | |
Shoe-fitting service | |
Shoe-fitting/foot-measuring in shops | |
Private area in shops | |
Empowerment/choice | |
Knowing what pods do more | |
Internet/peer support | |
Not treating patients who won’t make the changes | |
Gradual/step changes | |
Balance in managing situation | |
‘Car to bar’—changing shoe choice some of the time | |
Role of prevention | |
People don’t make the connection between foot conditions and shoes | |
Change people’s perceptions of healthy shoes? | |
Look at the bigger picture |