Gender and age affect balance performance in primary school-aged children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric motor development
• Biomechanics and human movement
• Childhood physical education

Background:

• Postural stability is crucial for fundamental movement skills and sports participation in children.
• Age and gender may influence the development of postural control in primary school-aged children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate postural stability in primary school-aged children.
• To determine the influence of age and gender on children's postural stability.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing static posturography.
• Assessed 84 primary school-aged children (37 boys, 47 girls).
• Evaluated balance during feet apart, feet together, and single-limb stances for 30 seconds.

Main Results:

• Boys demonstrated greater postural sway than girls across all conditions.
• Significant differences in sway were observed in single-limb stances (p=0.04).
• Younger children (8-year-olds) showed greater sway than older children in dual-limb and single-limb stances.

Conclusions:

• Postural stability challenges reveal gender differences, with boys exhibiting more sway.
• Dual-limb balance skills are generally acquired by age 9.
• Single-limb balance proficiency develops further, requiring mastery by age 10.
• Movement task design should consider age and gender for optimal skill development and injury prevention.