Project EARTH Funded to Study Footwear

Mike Stoots and Aimee Rowe, faculty in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, have been funded to advance their study of the economic, social, and epidemiological public health ramifications and cultural nuances of shoe wearing, and to explore innovative ways of making low-cost shoes from readily available materials.

The World Health Organization reports that 1.5 billion people around the world people are infected with parasitic diseases that could be prevented by wearing proper footwear. Another 300 million cannot afford shoes, greatly affecting occupational and educational attainment, especially for women and girls.

The “shoe project” is a natural extension of the College’s work at the ETSU/Eastman Valleybrook campus.  For over a decade, the College has used the campus as an essential part of Project EARTH (Employing Available Resources to Transform Health), a national award-winning program that teaches students how to address public health challenges in low-resource settings.  Over the years, the”making shoes” has been one of the most popular components of Project EARTH 

Developing new ways to make low-cost shoes from available material is not only important in itself—as it can help address a global public health challenge—it is also important because it teaches students innovation, creativity and teamwork. 

Many student groups as well as outside visitors have been challenged to make shoes with any available material, ranging from old tires, to burlap, to plastic bottles.  To date, the shoe activity has taken place with students from the Quillen College of Medicine, the Department of Engineering, the Department of Physical Therapy, and the College of Nursing,. These groups work in teams to design, create, and test shoes made of an assortment of raw materials and learn more about the importance of shoes in mental, social, and physical health while building critical thinking and collaborative skills.

Instructional Development Grants for faculty instructional improvement and innovation are funded annually in the East Tennessee State University budget.