The extent of protective footwear use among school-age rural children at high risk for podoconiosis and socio-economic correlates: A household cross-sectional survey in Southern Ethiopia

Podoconiosis is preventable if genetically susceptible people wear shoes starting from an early age and do so consistently. However, lack of routine use of footwear is one of the major risk factors for podoconiosis and several other foot-related Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). This study is aimed at describing the extent of footwear use among school-age rural children susceptible to the disease and investigating associated socioeconomic...