title: Age-related changes in postural sway in preschoolers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to investigate age-related differences of postural sway in 3- to 6-year-old typically developing children in different sensory conditions and subsequently to provide reference values for global descriptive sway parameters in preschoolers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-six typically developing children, between 3 and 5 years of age, participated in this cross-sectional study. Postural sway was measured for 40s in four conditions (eyes open/eyes closed on stable ground/foam) by using a force plate. Global descriptive sway parameters were calculated and analysed using a 2 × 2 × 3 (surface × vision × age group) MANOVA (p<0.05) in the children that were able to complete the task (40s).
  
  
  RESULTS
  When sensory information was altered, a significantly smaller number of 3- and 4-year-olds was able to complete the task. Significant main effects of vision (p<0.05), surface (p<0.001) and an interaction effect between vision and surface (p<0.05) on all postural sway parameters were found. A significant main effect of age was found for antero-posterior amplitude (p=0.047), medio-lateral root mean square (p=0.012) and area (p=0.009) between 3- and 5-year-olds and 4- and 5-year-olds. No interaction effects (surface × vision × age group) were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During natural stance, the amount of postural sway distinguishes 5-year-olds from 3- and 4-year-olds, highlighting the need for age-specific reference values for specific balance-related sway parameters (e.g. RMS_ml). Regarding test conditions with altered sensory input, a larger number of 5-year-old children are able to perform more difficult tasks. Nevertheless, if 3- or 4-year-olds are able to perform the more difficult tasks, their performance can be compared to the older children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: evi.verbecque@uantwerpen.be.
authors.forename: Evi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verbecque
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education, Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil; Department of Functional Morphology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Paula Hentschel Lobo
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences & Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Ghent, Belgium; Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meyns
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Faculty Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kaat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Desloovere
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vereeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Functional Morphology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium; Multidisciplinary Motor Centre Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hallemans
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056228:Feedback, Sensory / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Child; Posturography; “child development”[mesh]; “postural balance”[mesh]; “postural sway”; “references values”[mesh]