African American And European American Children Display Similar Balance Abilities From Ages 6 To 12

Abstract

PURPOSE Postural control and its development have been studied extensively. Most studies, however, have been limited to European American children. This study was conducted to compare the postural control of African American and European American children. Specific goals were to determine whether the development of postural control shows variation across the two groups and to determine whether African American children exhibit patterns of postural control and use of sensory information more closely related to adults levels than their European American counterparts. METHODS Eighteen African American children aged 6–12 were matched for gender, age, height, and weight with eighteen European American children attending a summer sports fitness camp. Postural control was assessed on the Equitest computerized dynamic posturography system using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT). The SOT uses systematic manipulation of perceptual information to assess overall postural control, as well as the ability to use the somatosensory, visual, and vestibular systems to maintain balance. RESULTS The overall performance on the SOT was similar between African American (M = 58.1, SD = 10.8) and European American children (M = 59.9, SD =13.4). Furthermore, analyses of the conditions of the SOT and subscores for perceptual information revealed no ethnic (MAA = 57.8, SD = 2.9; MEA = 60.3, SD = 2.9) or gender (MM = 58.6, SD = 2.7; MF = 59.5, SD = 3.1) group differences. CONCLUSIONS Although previous studies report superior motor performance and development in African American children compared with European American children, our findings indicate that these differences in motor capabilities may not be related to postural control. These finding are important for two reasons. First, they exclude postural control as a potential mechanism of the superior motor performance in African American children, and second the findings support the adequacy of developmenta; screening and assessment tools used for children of all ethnic backgrounds that have been developed using primarily European American children.