Normative reference values for the timed up-and-go test in Indian children aged four to 11 years old and their correlation with demographic characteristics: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The timed up-and-go test (TUGT) is a quick, reliable, and valid assessment tool for evaluating functional mobility or dynamic balance. Aims: The purpose of this study was to establish the normative values for TUGT in children aged 4 to 11 years old in Surat, India. Methods: A total of 420 children (210 boys and 210 girls) were included. Subjects were divided into seven age groups. In each age group, 60 (30 males and 30 females) subjects were included. Subjects were randomly recruited from primary schools and underwent three trials of the TUGT. Then, the mean of the three TUGT trials was calculated for each participant. Results: We formulated normative reference values for each of the seven age groups. The mean and standard deviation of the TUGT score across the total population was 6.00 ± 1.15 seconds. TUGT scores were compared between age groups and genders. Between boys and girls, we found no significant differences. Among the age groups, however, we found significant differences, with a P value of less than 0.001. Thus, only age showed a moderate negative correlation with TUGT score. Conclusions: This study provides normative reference values for the TUGT among Indian children aged four to 11 years old. We found that no differences existed between the TUGT results according to genders. Conversely, age had a moderate negative correlation: a comparison of TUGT scores among the ages revealed significant differences between the age groups.