title: Age-related, interindividual, and right/left differences in anterior-posterior foot pressure ratio in preschool children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to examine age-related, interindividual, and right/left differences in anterior-posterior foot pressure ratio in 764 preschool children (364 boys and 400 girls) aged 3.5-6.5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects maintained an upright standing posture for 10 seconds on the Footview Clinic, an instrument designed to calculate the anterior-posterior foot pressure ratio. The ratio of anterior foot pressure in each subject's right and left feet was selected as a variable, and the mean of a 10 s measurement was used for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ratio of anterior foot pressure was significantly larger in the right foot than in the left foot. With regard to age, the ratio of anterior foot pressure was significantly larger in children aged over 4.5 years than in children aged 3.5 years. It was also larger in children aged 6 and 6.5 years than in children aged 4 years. Interindividual differences in variables were large, and coefficients of variance were highest in children aged 3.5 years and lowest in children aged 6.5 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, anterior foot pressure increases with age in preschool children. Interindividual differences in anterior foot pressure are large and tend to decrease with age. Furthermore, the anterior foot pressure is slightly higher in the right foot than in the left foot. These results will be useful for various studies, such as examining relationships between the anterior-posterior foot pressure ratio and factors, such as untouched toes, physical fitness, and level of exercise.
authors.affiliation: Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University, 1-38, Nakauzura, Gifu, Gifu, 500-8288, Japan. matsuda@gifu.shotoku.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demura
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D011312:Pressure; D055815:Young Adult