Barefoot Walking (Earthing) Craze and Policy Support Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in South Korea: A Grounded Theory Analysis

Barefoot walking is currently a craze in South Korean communities. In particular, the elderly are participating in barefoot walking (earthing) to improve their physical and mental health due to their increasing desire for a healthy life. The purpose of this study was to analyze causes, processes, and consequences of the barefoot walking craze among the elderly in Korean society. The research method used was the grounded theory method. Thirty-five elderly people participating in barefoot walking were selected as participants. Data were analyzed according to open coding, axial coding, and selective coding proposed by Strauss and Corbin. First, an open coding phase yielded 61 concepts, 18 subcategories, and 7 categories through continuous questioning and comparative analysis. Second, in the axial coding stage, causal, contextual, and mediating conditions, action/interaction strategies, and consequences were presented, centering on the phenomenon. Causal conditions and contextual conditions contributing to the phenomenon of barefoot walking were identified as “motivation to participate” and “barefoot walking environment”, respectively. “Participating in barefoot walking” was identified as a phenomenon in the axial coding paradigm. The intervening condition was analyzed as “information about barefoot walking”. The action/interaction strategy was analyzed as “spreading the value of barefoot walking”. In the axial coding paradigm, consequences that emerged through the action/interaction strategy were “restoring physical and mental health” and “community spread and nuisance”. Third, in the selective coding stage, “barefoot walking as a daily routine” was derived as the core category, and the narrative outline was presented. To create a sustainable barefoot walking environment in Korea, it is necessary to have a healthy civic consciousness that coexists and harmonizes with nature.