Supine-to-stand task performance and anthropometric characteristics in children and adolescents

Abstract The performance of getting up from the floor from a supine position (Supine-to-Stand task, STS) can be considered a milestone in motor development and a potential indicator of motor competence in global terms. However, the knowledge about the performance of STS task and anthropometric characteristics is limited. This study examined the relationship between STS task performance and anthropometry in youth and the differences between the sexes, range age and nationality. Participants (n= 397; 45% girls) from Spain and Brazil (M= 9.13 years; SD= 3.79) had the following variables measured: timed STS task, mass, height, chronological age, hip, and waist circumference; Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist/Hip Ratio (WHR), Waist/Height Ratio (WHtR) were calculated. The analysis included ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation test and Stepwise multiple regression analysis in four age groups. Age was the variable that obtained statistically significant associations with timed STS task in the youngest age group; the BMI in the children group corresponded to the second childhood phase, and the WHR and the WHtR in the oldest age group. The timed STS task decreased as age groups were increasingly older, confirming that timed STS is strongly associated with growth and maturation processes; there were little differences between sexes or nationalities. (AU)