AUTHOR=Hao Zengming , Yang Yi , Hua Anke , Gao Ying , Wang Jian 

TITLE=Age-Related Changes in Standing Balance in Preschoolers Using Traditional and Nonlinear Methods

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.625553

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2021.625553

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=Considerable disagreement exists on the linearity of the development of standing balance in children. This study aimed to use different traditional and nonlinear methods to investigate age-related changes in standing balance in preschoolers. A sample of 118 preschoolers took part in this study. A force platform was used to record the center of pressure during standing balance over 15 seconds in three conditions: eyes open, eyes closed, and/or head extended backward. Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), and traditional measures were used to evaluate standing balance. The main results are as follows: (1) higher range and standard deviation in the anterior-posterior direction were observed for 5-year-old than for 4-year-old children, while higher DFA coefficient (at shorter time scales) and higher determinism and laminarity in the anterior-posterior direction were found for 5-year-old children compared to 3- and 4-year-old children; (2) as sensory conditions became more challenging, all traditional measures increased and DFA coefficients (at shorter and longer time scales) decreased in the anterior-posterior and mediolateral directions, while determinism and laminarity significantly declined in the anterior-posterior direction. In conclusion, although increased postural sway, 5-year-old preschool children's balance performance improved, and their control strategy changed significantly compared with the younger preschoolers. Sensory perturbation (eye closure and/or head extension) changed preschoolers’ balance performance and control strategy. Moreover, both traditional and nonlinear methods provided complementary information on the control of standing balance in preschoolers.