Analysis of dynamic balance in preschool children through the balance beam test: A cross-sectional study providing reference values

Román, Pedro Ángel Latorre; Martínez-Redondo, Melchor; Montilla, Juan A. Párraga; Lucena-Zurita, Manuel; Manjón-Pozas, Daniel; González, Pedro; Robles-Fuentes, Alejandro; Linares, Antonio José Cardona; Keating, Christopher J.; Salas-Sánchez, Jesús

doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.11.004

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…(These criteria can be consulted in the observation instrument, available on the Supplementary Material). Regarding dynamic balance, some research (Livesey et al, 2007;Aoki et al, 2011Aoki et al, , 2015Kasuga et al, 2012;Latorre-Román et al, 2021), and in line with the results of this study, show that there are no differences between genders in preschoolers. The non-gender differences on total FMS showed by our results are also consistent with those of other studies (Hardy et al, 2010;Kordi et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Other aspects to highlight in our study are that (1) it was carried out in the participants’ own school context without altering or modifying it; (2) motor tasks used were designed according to the content of the Early Childhood Education and Care curriculum and taking into account the physical and organizational characteristics of the school and the usual motor sessions that take place in it; (3) these motor tasks were also playful tasks, since play is an essential pedagogical methodology in this educational stage; (4) in the motor sessions analyzed, the teachers used their conventional motor teaching strategies, and (5) direct and systematic observation, which is the methodology required by the educational regulation for assessing children was used to assess the spontaneous behavior of children referring to their FMS. These aspects are in line with ecological approaches claimed by the literature regarding the assessment and intervention of motor skills in similar conditions to real life, in order to improve ecological validity of the research ( Woods et al, 2020 ; Latorre-Román et al, 2021 ). This helps to establish bridges between research and practice.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…It is not possible for us to make a detailed comparison of all these results with those of other studies since we are unaware of studies that have jointly analyzed these same variables. We can only cite the work of Latorre-Román et al (2021) focused on dynamic balance in preschoolers (but not in the other FMS), where, as in our results, no effect of gender × relative age on dynamic balance was found. More research is needed to analyze and clarify the influences of these and other possible variables on FMS, as well as the mechanisms underlying them.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 53%

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Teacher-Rated Executive Functions, Gender and Relative Age: Independent and Interactive Effects on Observed Fundamental Motor Skills in Kindergarteners

2022

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Fundamental motor skills (FMS) of children can be affected by different variables, such as executive functions (EF), gender and relative age. However, the effects of these variables on FMS have been scarce studied, especially in early childhood, and show inconsistent results. To clarify these relationships, this study was carried out. Its aim was to analyze whether EF, gender and relative age influenced FMS in 43 Spanish kindergarteners. A multimethod and mixed methods approach was used. Kindergarteners’ teachers completed the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory to know the children level of EF (working memory and inhibition control). Kindergarteners’ parents complimented ad hoc questionnaire reporting the children gender and birth data (to know their relative age). A Nomothetic/Punctual/Multidimensional observational design was used to observe children FMS in their habitual motor sessions at school. Two-way ANOVAs were performed to know the independent and interactive effects of working memory level (lower/higher), inhibition control level (lower/higher), gender (boys/girls) and relative age (according to the birth semester in the year) on FMS. Results showed these variables have independent and interactive effects on some FMS, but not on others. FMS influenced by these variables vary depending what independent variable(s) is/are considered. Therefore, it can be concluded that the influences of teacher-rated EF, gender and relative age on observed FMS in kindergarteners are complex and specific. Results obtained must be taken into to design and implement instructional and intervention strategies, as well as educational and sport policy changes, especially in early childhood, when FMS are more malleable.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 53%

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Teacher-Rated Executive Functions, Gender and Relative Age: Independent and Interactive Effects on Observed Fundamental Motor Skills in Kindergarteners

2022

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“…This test is also used frequently for general behavioral screening of rodents after pharmacologic or toxicological experiments (Karl et al, 2003). The balance beam monitors motor coordination in human subjects over a period of development or in response to treatments (Latorre-Román et al, 2021). Most balance beam tests involve some level of training, as we did, but other investigations tend not to mention if animals refused to cross.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of baseline behavioral tests in ferrets.

Obasa¹,

Schwerin²,

Ray³

et al. 2022

Behavioral Neuroscience

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As the smallest mammal with a gyrencephalic cerebral cortex, ferrets are becoming increasingly important animal models to study neurological disorders. In order for them to be optimally used, typical behavioral measurements are highly desirable. To ascertain a baseline level of behavior, we conducted a battery of tests assessing motor, social, memory, headache, and aspects of depressive-like behavior. Adult male ferrets participated in open field, beam walk, sucrose preference, eye contact, light/dark box, socialization, and novel object recognition tests. The animals were assessed in three cohorts, which differed in age, with the youngest group being approximately 1 year younger than the oldest. Small, but significant, differences occurred between the youngest cohort and the older groups in several areas, suggesting that age may be an important factor when evaluating ferret behavior. Ferrets showed a high level of sociability in the eye contact tests and with novel animal preference. These experiments represent an important baseline of expected normative results that can provide a reference for normal ferret behavior and expected variability. The data reported here may serve as a reference for future intervention studies using the ferret.

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“…Similarly, there is conflicting evidence with respect to gender-related differences in balance abilities of the preschoolers. Some scholars have indicated that there is no difference in the static or dynamic balance between boys and girls ( Kakebeeke et al, 2012 ; Latorre-Román et al, 2021 ). Yet, other studies found that girls have better static and dynamic balance than boys ( Deoreo and Wade, 1971 ; Lee and Lin, 2007 ; Cadenas-Sanchez et al, 2019 ; Shams et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age and gender differences in static and dynamic balance of Chinese preschool children

Zhu

et al. 2022

Front. Physiol.

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Objectives: Balance is a crucial ability of early age, but there is conflicting evidence with regard to age and gender differences in preschool children’s balance ability. Additionally, there are several tools available to measure balance, yet, wide variation in their use has restricted the capacity to synthesize the reference values. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the balance ability of preschool-aged children and determine how it is moderated by age and gender. The analysis pertained to determining whether different testing methods affect the results of static or dynamic balancing ability to provide a basis for normative balance ability data for healthy boys and girls between 3 and 6 years of age.Method: Six hundred and nineteen preschool children (296 boys and 323 girls) aged 3–6 years participated in the study. The static balance (SB) was assessed with children standing on one leg (OST) and in a tandem stance (TS) with respect to time. The balance beam test (BBT) and functional reach test (FRT) were used to evaluate dynamic balance (DB) by measuring the time spent and the distance reached, respectively.Result: The results revealed significant differences in OST with respect to gender (η2 = 0.037, p < 0.001), TS (η2 = 0.026, p < 0.001) and FRT (η2 = 0.016, p = 0.002); the girls performed better than boys on most balance tests except on BBT (η2 = 0.000, p = 0.596). Age had positive effects on the static and dynamic balance performance on the OST (η2 = 0.336, p < 0.001), TS (η2 = 0.205, p < 0.001), BBT (η2 = 0.367, p < 0.001) and FRT (η2 = 0.392, p < 0.001). Older children performed better than their younger counterparts. No significant interactions between age groups and sex were found.Conclusion: This study revealed that static and dynamic balance stability in preschool-aged children was affected by gender and age. Gender dimorphism is present in preschool children, older girls displayed better postural stability than boys, and balance performance improved with age. In addition, the study provides age- and gender-specific balance performance reference values for preschool children across multiple methods, which can be used to monitor static and dynamic balance development.

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Analysis of dynamic balance in preschool children through the balance beam test: A cross-sectional study providing reference values

Cited by 11 publications

References 25 publications

Teacher-Rated Executive Functions, Gender and Relative Age: Independent and Interactive Effects on Observed Fundamental Motor Skills in Kindergarteners

Teacher-Rated Executive Functions, Gender and Relative Age: Independent and Interactive Effects on Observed Fundamental Motor Skills in Kindergarteners

Evaluation of baseline behavioral tests in ferrets.

Age and gender differences in static and dynamic balance of Chinese preschool children

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