title: Effects of Backpack Carriage on Dual-Task Performance in Children During Standing and Walking.
abstract: Primary school children perform parts of their everyday activities while carrying school supplies and being involved in attention-demanding situations. Twenty-eight children (8-10 years old) performed a 1-legged stance and a 10 m walking test under single- and dual-task situations in unloaded (i.e., no backpack) and loaded conditions (i.e., backpack with 20% of body mass). Results showed that load carriage did not significantly influence children's standing and walking performance (all p > .05), while divided attention affected all proxies of walking (all p < .001). Last, no significant load by attention interactions was detected. The single application of attentional but not load demand negatively affects children's walking performance. A combined application of both did not further deteriorate their gait behavior.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Sports and Health Sciences , Division of Training and Movement Sciences, University of Potsdam , Potsdam , Germany.|b Geriatric Center at the University of Heidelberg, Agaplesion Bethanien Hospital Heidelberg , Heidelberg , Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beurskens
authors.affiliation: a Department of Sports and Health Sciences , Division of Training and Movement Sciences, University of Potsdam , Potsdam , Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muehlbauer
authors.affiliation: a Department of Sports and Health Sciences , Division of Training and Movement Sciences, University of Potsdam , Potsdam , Germany.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grabow
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Division of Cognitive Psychology, University of Potsdam , Potsdam , Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kliegl
authors.affiliation: a Department of Sports and Health Sciences , Division of Training and Movement Sciences, University of Potsdam , Potsdam , Germany.
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Granacher
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: attentional demand; cognitive performance; gait analysis; load carriage; postural control