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Timed Floor to Stand-Natural: Reference Data for School Age Children.
Goldie Weingarten1, Michael Lieberstein, Adina Itzkowitz
1Physical Therapy Department (Ms Weingarten, Mr Lieberstein, Ms Itzkowitz, Mr Vialu, and Dr Doyle), New York City Department of Education, New York, New York; Department of Rehabilitation & Movement Sciences (Dr Kaplan), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey.
Reference data for the Timed Floor to Stand-Natural (TFTS-N) test are now available for typically developing school children. Neither sex nor body mass index (BMI) significantly impacts task timing in this age group.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Motor development assessment
- Biometrics in children
Background:
- The Timed Floor to Stand-Natural (TFTS-N) is a functional mobility test.
- Establishing normative data is crucial for clinical interpretation in pediatric populations.
- Understanding factors influencing TFTS-N performance is important for accurate assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish normative reference data for the TFTS-N test.
- To investigate the influence of age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) on TFTS-N performance in typically developing school children.
- To provide a reliable dataset for pediatric physical therapists and researchers.
Main Methods:
- A large, diverse sample of 1476 typically developing school children (aged 5-14 years) was recruited.
- The TFTS-N was administered by five physical therapists using standardized, reliable procedures.
- Data were collected and analyzed to determine age- and sex-specific reference values and the impact of BMI.
Main Results:
- Average TFTS-N times ranged from 7.91 ± 1.65 to 8.98 ± 1.62 seconds.
- Eight-year-olds demonstrated the quickest times, while 13-year-olds were the slowest.
- No clinically significant differences in timing were observed between sexes, and no significant variations were found across different BMI categories.
Conclusions:
- Normative reference data for the TFTS-N test in school-aged children are now available.
- The findings indicate that sex and BMI do not significantly affect TFTS-N performance within the 5-14 year age range.
- These data support the use of the TFTS-N as a valid measure of functional mobility in this population.
