ショウガッコウ コウガクネン ノ ジュシン ドウヨウ ト ソノ エイキョウ インシ : Yシ Mショウガッコウ オ タイショウ ト シテ

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to measure the features of postural stability in children in the upper grades of elementary school and to elucidate the factors influencing postural stability. The subjects were 132 fifth-grade students and 72 sixth-grade students. Body sway was measured during upright posture with both legs or one leg, and then the total length of body sway was calculated. In addition, the subjects took some muscle strength and flexibility tests. The total lengths of body sway in girls were shorter than those in boys. In addition, the total lengths of body sway in the sixth-grade students were also shorter than those in the fifth-grade students. Furthermore, the subjects who were able to complete a muscle strength test of the body trunk demonstrated shorter body sway than did the subjects who could not complete the test. In contrast, muscle strength of the legs or flexibility of the whole body had no effect on body sway. These findings suggest that postural stability in individuals in the upper grades of elementary school depends on the muscle strength of the body trunk