Purpose: Balance is an integral part of every day life for both children and adults. Examination of balance in children is important in physical therapy to predict their safety in a variety of environments. The existing outcome measures are expensive, time, consuming and require laboratory settings and hence have little clinical use. Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) has been found to have better functional components and more clinical utility, the purpose of the study was (a) To determine the age of attainment of balance (b) To determine if there is a correlation between age and PBS.

Methods: Cross sectional study with a proportional stratified random sample of 150 normal healthy children of either sex between the age group 3 to 9 years were selected and categorized in to 3 groups and administered PBS.

Results: ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis Test was used for statistical analysis and showed a significant progressive increase in PBS scores of all the 3 age groups. Spearman's test showed significant correlation between age and PBS scores at p<0.01. Regression analysis showed that by age nine, all the subjects were able to reach the highest obtainable score of 56 on PBS.

Discussion and Conclusion: The results show a significant positive correlation between age and PBS scores. Most Children aged 9 years scored the maximum of 56 therefore PBS shows the age of attainment of balance in children as 9 years. It is also an effective functional and clinical tool since its components involve activities of daily living.

Childhood Disability Update 2005 - Conference Abstracts. Pediatric Oncall [serial online] 2006 [cited 15 January 2006(Supplement 1)];3. Available from:
http://www.pediatriconcall.com/fordoctor/Conference_abstracts/
Paediatric_Balance_Scale.asp