COMPARISON OF BALANCE ABILITY AND CORE MUSCLES STRENGTH IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT BODY MASS INDEX AND WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO

K. Goyal¹, M. Goyal², A.J. Samuel¹

Background: Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio are the standardized anthropometric measures to categorize the individuals into normal, overweight, and obese categories respectively. The prevalence of increased weight gain is considered as referred by health organization as a serious epidemic has risen tremendously in the school-aged children. Children with an excess weight exhibited low neuromuscular function, postural deformities and reduced motor skills. Researchers have confirmed reduced balance capabilities among overweight children when compared to non-overweight children. But to best of the knowledge, no study is available which has compared the balance ability and core muscle strength among school-aged children with different body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.

Purpose: To compare the strength of core muscles and balance abilities among school-aged children with different body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.

Methods: A cross-sectional study from a single center of 36 school children aged, 11 to 15 years was categorized into normal weight (NW), overweight (OW), and obese (OB) categories on the basis of body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Pressure Biofeedback Unit (PBU) was used to measure core muscle strength; Single leg stance test (SLST) was used to assess stationary balance ability both with open and closed eyes, and Lower Quarter Y Balance Test (YBT-LQ) measured the kinetic balance on both right and left lower extremities and the mean of the lower extremities kinetic balance were used for further analysis.

Results: BMI of NW, OW and OB recruited were 18 (17-21) kg/m2, 21 (21-24) kg/m2 and 13 (11-15) kg/m2 respectively while WHR were 0.87 (0.8-0.9), 0.8 (0.87-0.9) and 0.9 (0.8-0.9) respectively. The statistically significant results obtained through SLST with eyes open [NW=68 (40-47) seconds; OW=16 (12-24) seconds; OB=14 (8-20) seconds; p=0.002] and eyes closed [NW=20 (11-43) seconds; OW=14 (2-6) seconds; OB=3 (3-5) seconds; p<0.001] revealed that stationary balance was affected in overweight and obese children. Core muscles strength [NW=46 (40-47) mmHg; OW=48 (44-50) mmHg; OB=46 (42-50) mmHg; p=0.24] and kinetic balance (YBT) [NW=90 (82-106) cm; OW=87 (82-93) cm; OB=82 (72-97) cm; p=0.83] were not affected statistically in comparison to children having normal weight.

Conclusion(s): The study concluded the poor stationary balance in overweight and obese children as compared to normal weight school-aged children as tested through SLST.

Implications: School curriculum should be designed in a manner to incorporate the several sports activities focused at targeting the core muscle activities and neuromuscular training in order to curtail weight gain and poor proprioception in obese and overweight children.

Funding, acknowledgements: None

Keywords: Childhood obesity, Balance, Children

Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

Committee: Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research

Ethics number: MMDU/2020/1123