This study aimed to examine inter- and intra-tester reliabilities of H-line and plantar arch proportion methods of plantar arch evaluation in preschool children and to clarify the relationship between both methods. Subjects consisted of 122 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years. The contact surface area of their soles was recorded with the Pedoscope, and their plantar arches were assessed by both evaluation methods. H-line and plantar arch proportion methods required approximately 5 and 10 minutes, respectively, to calculate assessment value for each subjects. Intra- and inter-tester reliabilities were very high (ICC=0.95〜1.00) in both evaluation methods. The correlations of both evaluation methods according to age were 0.77〜0.94 and partial correlations controlled for age were 0.88〜0.91. In conclusion, both evaluation methods have very high intra- and inter-tester reliabilities and can assess the plantar arch similarly. For simplicity and convenience, the H-line method may be more effective.
