FOOT HEALTH
The impacts of an ageing population in the footwear industry
The study: Footwear Consumer 2030 predicts that in the next 15 years the demographic structure of the word population will continue to change influencing the decisions behind footwear production
R
ecent statistics by The World Bank estimate that the average world fertility rate is 2.47
births per woman, which represents a massive drop from the 4.98 births in 1960. While fertility rate decreases across the globe, progresses in the field of health such as new diagnosis and treatment methods, new medicines, techniques and the massification of health treatments have enabled people to live longer lives. If we look at the average global life expectancy age at birth, currently standing at 70.8 years, this has improved massively since 1960 (improvement of 20.3 years).
This leads to strong changes in the demographic structure of countries. China is one of the nations
34 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JANUARY 2016
that will have to start to take action to deal with the ageing population problem as it will be hit with its consequences over the next few years. Due to their one child policy China has the 1-2-4 problem, as most households have a structure that includes one child, two parents and 4 grandparents and where a significant part of its population will soon have to support economic and social charges related to a family structure characterised by the strong presence of older relatives.
As the world population rapidly ages, the
psychological, individual, and social value judgments that shape consumers’ behaviours also change. Senior citizens value usability, reliability, and the adequate style of products and services,
but that will tend to be complemented with concerns not to compromise lifestyle. These will create new business opportunities for companies focusing on products for older people, namely footwear.
With advancing age, there is also a tendency for
the foot to show increased soft tissue stiffness, decreased strength and range of motion and a more pronated posture.
A pronated foot, for example, has more weight
on the inside edge of the foot, which can give the appearance of the ankles bending slightly toward each other. This changed shape of the feet requires a different fit of shoes.
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