Association of foot health with the quality of work and fatigue severity among the university teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61919/65g9gy55Keywords:
Foot health status; work productivity; activity impairment; fatigue severity; body mass index.Abstract
Background: University teaching involves prolonged standing and walking that may compromise foot health and contribute to reduced work functioning and fatigue. Objective: To determine the association of foot health with work impairment and fatigue severity among university teachers. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 369 university teachers recruited from three universities in Lahore (September–December 2025). Foot health was assessed using the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ) across foot pain, foot function, footwear, and general foot health domains. Work impairment was measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI), reporting absenteeism, presenteeism, overall work productivity loss, and activity impairment as percentages. Fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS; total 9–63). Associations were tested using correlation analysis with two-tailed significance at p<0.05. Results: The mean age was 31.71±6.28 years; 65.6% were female. Mean WPAI outcomes were absenteeism 4.99±12.48, presenteeism 26.45±19.91, overall work productivity loss 26.29±19.95, and activity impairment 25.34±19.31. Mean FSS total was 32.84±11.13. Worse foot health correlated with higher work impairment and fatigue; the strongest association was between foot function and activity impairment (r=0.548, p<0.001), and footwear problems showed the strongest association with fatigue (r=0.452, p<0.001). Conclusion: Poorer foot health among university teachers is associated with greater work impairment and higher fatigue severity, supporting the need for occupational and ergonomic strategies targeting foot health.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Hamaila Iqbal, Sidra Faisal, Ayesha Iftikhar, H.M.Abubakar Azhar (Author)
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