Motor skills of children and adolescents are influenced by growing up barefoot or shod
Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Abstract
Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between
growing up barefoot or shod and the development of motor performance during
childhood and adolescence.
Methods: Habitual barefoot and shod children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years
were recruited in South Africa and Germany. Participants completed balance, standing
long jump and 20m sprint tests in barefoot and shod conditions. Outcomes were
analyzed in separate mixed-effects linear regressions for three age groups according
to stages of development (6–10, 11–14, and 15–18 years). All models were adjusted for
confounders: sex, ethnicity, BMI, PAQ score and order of tests (barefoot vs. shod).
Results: Three hundred and eight-five habitually barefoot and 425 habitually shod
children participated. Significant age by footwear effects were found for the jump
(p = 0.032) and sprint test (p = 0.041). Habitually barefoot children aged 6–10 years
scored higher in the balance test (p = 0.015) and standing long jump (p = 0.005) whereas
habitually shod children sprinted faster (p < 0.001). Faster sprint times were found for
habitually shod participants between 11 and 14 years (p < 0.001). Habitually barefoot
adolescents between 15 and 18 years of age showed a greater long jump distance
(p < 0.001) but slower sprint times (p = 0.014) than shod adolescents.
Conclusions: The results emphasize the importance of footwear habits for the
development of motor skills during childhood and adolescence. Regular physical
activities without footwear may be beneficial for the development of jumping and balance
skills, especially in the age of 6 to 10 years.
Description
CITATION: Zech, A., et al. 2018. Motor skills of children and adolescents are influenced by growing up barefoot or shod. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 6:115, doi:10.3389/fped.2018.00115.
The original publication is available at https://www.frontiersin.org
The original publication is available at https://www.frontiersin.org
Keywords
Motor ability in children, Barefoot walking -- Advantage, Walking with shoes -- Advantages, Shoes, Child development, Sports -- Physiological aspects
Citation
Zech, A., et al. 2018. Motor skills of children and adolescents are influenced by growing up barefoot or shod. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 6:115, doi:10.3389/fped.2018.00115