Thiele de Cássia Libardoni1, Carolina Buzzi da Silveira2, Larissa Milani Brognoli Sinhorim2, Anamaria Siriani de Oliveira3, Márcio José Dos Santos4, Gilmar Moraes Santos5. 1. University of São Paulo, Rua Miguel Covian, # 120, 2nd floor, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: thielelibardoni@yahoo.com.br. 2. University of the State of Santa Catarina (UDESC), R. Pascoal Simone, 358 - Coqueiros, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. 3. University of São Paulo, Rua Miguel Covian, # 120, 2nd floor, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. 4. Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, KU Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd / MS2002, Kansas City, KS, USA. 5. Department of Physical Therapy, Postgraduate Program in Physical Therapy, Health Science Centre and Sport, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Pascoal Simone Street, 358 - Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
Abstract
PURPOSE: There are still no normative data in balance sway for school-age children in Brazil. We aimed to establish the reference ranges for balance scores and to develop prediction equations for estimation of balance scores in children aged 8 to 12 years old. METHODS: The study included 165 healthy children (83 boys and 82 girls; age, 8-12 years) recruited from a public school in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. We used the Sensory Organization Test to assess the balance scores and both a digital scale and a stadiometer to measure the anthropometric variables. We tested a stepwise multiple-regression model with sex, height, weight, and mid-thigh circumference of the dominant leg as predictors of the balance score. RESULTS: For all experimental conditions, girls' age accounted for over 85% of the variability in balance scores; while, boys' age accounted only 55% of the variability in balance scores. Therefore, balance scores increase with age for boys and girls. CONCLUSION: This study described the ranges of age- and sex-specific normative values for balance scores in children during 6 different testing conditions established by the sensory organization test. We confirmed that age was the predictor that best explained the variability in balance scores in children between 8 and 12 years old. This study stimulates a new and more comprehensive study to estimate balance scores from prediction equations for overall Brazilian pediatric population.
PURPOSE: There are still no normative data in balance sway for school-age children in Brazil. We aimed to establish the reference ranges for balance scores and to develop prediction equations for estimation of balance scores in children aged 8 to 12 years old. METHODS: The study included 165 healthy children (83 boys and 82 girls; age, 8-12 years) recruited from a public school in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. We used the Sensory Organization Test to assess the balance scores and both a digital scale and a stadiometer to measure the anthropometric variables. We tested a stepwise multiple-regression model with sex, height, weight, and mid-thigh circumference of the dominant leg as predictors of the balance score. RESULTS: For all experimental conditions, girls' age accounted for over 85% of the variability in balance scores; while, boys' age accounted only 55% of the variability in balance scores. Therefore, balance scores increase with age for boys and girls. CONCLUSION: This study described the ranges of age- and sex-specific normative values for balance scores in children during 6 different testing conditions established by the sensory organization test. We confirmed that age was the predictor that best explained the variability in balance scores in children between 8 and 12 years old. This study stimulates a new and more comprehensive study to estimate balance scores from prediction equations for overall Brazilian pediatric population.
Authors: Benjamin C Conner; Drew A Petersen; Jamie Pigman; James B Tracy; Curtis L Johnson; Kurt Manal; Freeman Miller; Christopher M Modlesky; Jeremy R Crenshaw Journal: Gait Posture Date: 2019-07-03 Impact factor: 2.840