The Institute for Preventive Foot Health (IPFH) exists to promote awareness of, and the need for, preventive foot health as a key to long-term quality of human life, and also to promote research and education dedicated to preventive foot health practices, products and procedures that contribute to the general well being of the human foot.

Preventive Foot Health (PFH) is defined as the practice of taking proactive measures to protect and care for the feet to reduce the probability of incurring serious problems as the feet age over the course of a person's lifetime. Preventive foot health is necessary in all sports and activities as well as in daily work and home routines. It is a vital and critically important practice in persons with chronic health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, and circulatory disease where small problems can be magnified into both limb and life threatening conditions.