title: Load release balance test under unstable conditions effectively discriminates between physically active and sedentary young adults.
abstract: This study investigates test-retest reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the load release balance test under four varied conditions. Young, early and late middle-aged physically active and sedentary subjects performed the test over 2 testing sessions spaced 1week apart while standing on either (1) a stable or (2) an unstable surface with (3) eyes open (EO) and (4) eyes closed (EC), respectively. Results identified that test-retest reliability of parameters of the load release balance test was good to excellent, with high values of ICC (0.78-0.92) and low SEM (7.1%-10.7%). The peak and the time to peak posterior center of pressure (CoP) displacement were significantly lower in physically active as compared to sedentary young adults (21.6% and 21.0%) and early middle-aged adults (22.0% and 20.9%) while standing on a foam surface with EO, and in late middle-aged adults on both unstable (25.6% and 24.5%) and stable support surfaces with EO (20.4% and 20.0%). The area under the ROC curve >0.80 for these variables indicates good discriminatory accuracy. Thus, these variables of the load release balance test measured under unstable conditions have the ability to differentiate between groups of physically active and sedentary adults as early as from 19years of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Kinanthropology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Sports Technology Institute, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia. Electronic address: zemkova@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zemková
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Educology and Sports Humanistic, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Štefániková
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Kinesiology, Biomechanics and Ergonomics, Faculty of Education Sciences, Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Almería, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Muyor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Age-related differences; Reactive balance responses; Reliability; Test sensitivity