The Effects of Posture Difficulty and Gender on Biomechanical Characteristics of Balance in School-Aged Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical characteristics of balance and postural control in three stances and based on gender. Postural sway parameters and centre of pressure (CoP) variations and kinematic data were calculated for 45 school-aged children (7-10 years), (n=20 females and n=25 males), who did not participate in sports, during three stances (normal quiet (NQS); Romberg-sharpened (RS); and onelegged (OLS)). Both groups demonstrated increased postural sway when the base of support was narrowed; however, boys exhibited greater CoP movement compared to girls while girls demonstrated better postural control. The results of our research could be useful to examine the specialized use of physical education in kindergarten and first grades of elementary school.