Spatiotemporal Gait Variables and Step-to-Step Variability in Preschool-Aged Children Born Very Preterm at Risk for Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Cohort Study.

IF 2.1 4区医学 Q2 PEDIATRICS

Children-Basel Pub Date : 2025-09-19 DOI:10.3390/children12091261

Reem A Albesher, Jennifer L McGinley, Fiona L Dobson, Benjamin F Mentiplay, Tara L FitzGerald, Kate L Cameron, Jeanie L Y Cheong, Alicia J Spittle

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background/objective: The gait pattern of children born very preterm shows gait decrements compared to their full-term peers in dual-task walking. It is essential to identify children at a higher risk for these gait deficits. The aim of this study was to compare spatiotemporal gait variables in preschool-age children born very preterm at risk for developmental coordination disorder (DCD) with those not at risk.

Methods: Preschool-age children born < 30 weeks' gestation. Risk for DCD was defined as (i) ≤16th percentile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition, (ii) ≥80 on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition, and (iii) without cerebral palsy. Spatiotemporal gait variables and variability were assessed using GAITRite^® during preferred speed, cognitive and motor dual-task, and tandem conditions. Variables included speed (cm/s), step time (s), cadence (steps/min), step length (cm), base of support (BOS; cm), and single and double support time (%gait cycle).

Results: Of 111 children who were assessed, 26 children were classified as at risk for DCD. Most gait variables were similar between groups at preferred speed walking. Children at risk for DCD had wider BOS and shorter single support time in motor dual-tasking (mean difference [MD] = 0.86 cm, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10, 1.61; MD = -1.77%, 95% CI -3.36, -0.19) compared to those not at risk. Similarly, wider BOS and higher cadence were found when tandem walking (MD = 0.63 cm, 95% CI 0.07, 1.20; MD = 0.63 steps/min, 95% CI 0.07, 1.20).

Conclusions: Children born very preterm at risk for DCD had poorer walking performance than those not at risk for DCD at preschool age, especially during dual-task situations. Clinicians may incorporate complex gait assessments into early evaluations to detect subtle impairments in children. Future research is needed to investigate the impact of gait variability on children's daily lives and participation in sports activities.

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有发育性协调障碍风险的早产儿的时空步态变量和步间变异：一项队列研究。

背景/目的：与足月儿童相比，早产儿的步态模式在双任务行走中表现出步态减少。确定这些步态缺陷风险较高的儿童是至关重要的。本研究的目的是比较发育协调障碍（DCD）风险的早产儿和无风险的学龄前儿童的时空步态变量。方法：妊娠< 30周的学龄前儿童。DCD的风险定义为(i)在儿童运动评估量表（第二版）中≤16百分位，（ii）在韦氏学前和小学智力量表（第四版）中≥80，（iii）没有脑瘫。在首选速度、认知和运动双任务和串联条件下，使用GAITRite®评估时空步态变量和变异性。变量包括速度（cm/s），步幅(s)，步幅（步长/分钟），步长（cm），支撑基础（BOS; cm），单支撑和双支撑时间（%步态周期）。结果：在111名接受评估的儿童中，26名儿童被划分为DCD高危人群。在首选速度步行组之间，大多数步态变量相似。有DCD风险的儿童在运动双任务中有更宽的BOS和更短的单次支持时间（平均差异[MD] = 0.86 cm， 95%可信区间[CI] 0.10, 1.61; MD = -1.77%, 95% CI -3.36, -0.19）。同样，双人步行时BOS更宽，步频更高（MD = 0.63 cm, 95% CI 0.07, 1.20; MD = 0.63 steps/min, 95% CI 0.07, 1.20）。结论：在学龄前，有DCD风险的极早产儿童的行走表现比无DCD风险的儿童差，特别是在双任务情况下。临床医生可能会将复杂的步态评估纳入早期评估，以发现儿童的细微损伤。未来的研究需要调查步态变异对儿童日常生活和体育活动参与的影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Children-Basel PEDIATRICS-

CiteScore

2.70

自引率

16.70%

发文量

1735

审稿时长

6 weeks

期刊介绍： Children is an international, open access journal dedicated to a streamlined, yet scientifically rigorous, dissemination of peer-reviewed science related to childhood health and disease in developed and developing countries. The publication focuses on sharing clinical, epidemiological and translational science relevant to children’s health. Moreover, the primary goals of the publication are to highlight under‑represented pediatric disciplines, to emphasize interdisciplinary research and to disseminate advances in knowledge in global child health. In addition to original research, the journal publishes expert editorials and commentaries, clinical case reports, and insightful communications reflecting the latest developments in pediatric medicine. By publishing meritorious articles as soon as the editorial review process is completed, rather than at predefined intervals, Children also permits rapid open access sharing of new information, allowing us to reach the broadest audience in the most expedient fashion.