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Running shoes reporting misleading
A recent report from Dundee University made national news headlines when it revealed “Cheap trainers still protect feet” [BBC news web site].News reports actually dumbed-down the information in the report, as SGB – Sports and Outdoor can now reveal.
The way the story was reported indicated that cheaper trainers can offer identical and sometimes better protection than more expensive trainers. This simplification, which ran in many national publications, failed to mention that the tests were observed not on cheap versus expensive shoes, but on cheaper versus more expensive shoes made by the same manufacturer – therefore the shoes would largely be using the same or similar technology.
The study was funded by the Institute of Motion Analysis and Research in Dundee, and the researchers used neutral running shoes; they apparently covered most of the brands on the market, though no brands are mentioned in the paper.
Professor Rami Aboud, speaking to SGB, addressed many inaccuracies in online and newspaper reports, which were written using a press release that was issued prior to the paper. He said: “The press release should really have been accompanied by the publication of the paper on the same day, which would have given reporters the opportunity to read the paper along with the press release.”
Sadly, headlines are not made this way, or we would be forced to read well-balanced news every morning instead of the sensationalist styles we are so accustomed to.
So what was the study suggesting to people? Nothing, as it’s a purely scientific study. But Professor Aboud has been putting the record straight in interviews. He said: “In all the interviews I have done, I have said do not look at the price tag, go and find the shoes that fits, the right size, comfort. Then look at the price tag – if you can pay it, pay it! I have never said do not buy expensive shoes. We merely said that in the categories we have assessed, we found the medium- and low-price shoes are as good as, if not better in some instances than the more expensive shoes of the same brand. When you look at the cost, you would think – this is the perception – that if you pay more, you get something better. We just looked at it and said: ‘Is that the case?’
“This paper is actually part of a larger study we started five years ago, in which we have looked at every angle you can think of using different devices. We’ve used pressure devices, accelerometers, walking, running – everything you can think of, we have tested, and further findings will be published soon in a series of papers.”
The fascinating paper can be downloaded from the British Journal of Sports Medicine’s web site at: http://bjsm.bmj.com
