Balance Performance of Iranian Children Aged 7-12 Years Based on Functional Reach Tests

Background. The current study was conducted to investigate the balance performance of 7-12-year-old Iranian children based on functional reach tests.

Methods. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 483 male and female students from the first to sixth grades. After measuring the height, weight, and length of the upper and lower limbs, the functional reach test was evaluated with the dominant limb, and the initial amount of the functional reach test was recorded by the examiner, and subsequently, the same protocol was used for the non-dominant limb, as well as two limbs. The final amount of functional reach was recorded, and the difference between the two was recorded in the test sheet. This process was repeated three times, and the average of these three attempts was recorded as the final score. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS software version 23, and its descriptive and inferential statistics were extracted. Pearson's correlation coefficient was also calculated to measure the correlation of anthropometric characteristics of height, weight, and body length.

Results. In this study, 483 elementary school students with an average age of 9.53 years (minimum of 7 years and maximum of 12 years) and the average height of 138.217, as well as an average body mass index of 17.43 in the first to sixth grades, were evaluated. The normative scores for right, left, and two-handed functional reach tests were 20.45±7.87 cm, 22.46±8.09 cm, and 18.60±7.89 cm, respectively. The right and left lateral reach test scores were 14.68±6.01 cm and 14.90±6.01 cm, respectively. These scores significantly correlated with each other (P<0.001) and anthropometric characteristics.

Conclusion. The results of the current study revealed that on 483 students from the first to the sixth-grade evaluation of functional reach and lateral reach, tests is vital for clinical use and assessing the balance of Iranian children. Due to the lower balance functional level of Iranian children than their peers in some other countries, there is a need for planning to increase physical activity and sports in school programs and at the community level.

Practical Implications. The data obtained from functional reach tests in this study can be used to measure the balance performance of Iranian school-age children.