Perceptions and attitudes towards running shoes between runners and non-runners participants.

Details

Supervisors

Nguyen, Anh Phong

Faculty

Faculté des sciences de la motricité

Degree label

Master [60] en kinésithérapie et réadaptation

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted with two main goals: 1) to assess the perceptions and attitudes of runners and to compare it to a non-runners-control group 2) to identify where runners seek their information concerning running shoes. Methods: Using an online survey, we collected demographic data, perceptions and attitudes from runners and non-runners groups. Results: In total, 1601 responses were included in the final analysis. Runners mostly went in running stores and sport stores when seeking information about running shoes at the expense of health care professionals, sport professionals or scientific literature. Similar results were found on the influence of running shoes on running biomechanics, recommendations of shoes based on foot morphology and its incidence of RRI and shoes recommendations for overweight individuals. There was a significant difference in responses between runners and non-runners in kids’ running shoes recommendations with a higher proportion of runners indicating to recommend the least amount and a little bit of support compared to non-runners. There was a similar perception in both groups about the price of running shoes and most runners were able to differentiate a maximalist and a minimalist shoe. Conclusion: Runners and non-runners shared the same perceptions and attitudes towards running shoes. A better communication between running shareholders should be encouraged to provide clear guidelines for runners in regard to both performance and running related injuries.