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NCT Number: NCT03693482

The Validity and Reliability of the Four Square Step Test

This study will evaluate concurrent and discriminative validity, reliability and level of agreement between the Timed Up & Go test and the four square step test in typically developed children.

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Key information

Conditions

Only Child Balance, Postural

Age range

5 year–10 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

1. Eastern Mediterranean University Health Sciences Faculty, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation,

Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Participants will be assessed by two physiotherapists on two separate days. Prior to the trial, testing instructions to be delivered to participants will be translated and adapted into Turkish. In order to maximize potential agreement and to improve rating accuracy, reliability, and validity, assessment skills of the raters will be refreshed through training.

Administration of the tests will be performed in a corridor of the school. Assessments will be performed in a quiet and adequately lighted environment to minimize the distraction. Participants will be tested with their regular footwear. The demographic information of participants will be recorded. The dynamic balance performances on the four square step test (FSST) and the Timed up & Go test (TUG) will be assessed by Rater A and B independently and these assessments repeated 24-h later. The participants will be allowed to rest up to five minutes between sessions. A stopwatch will be used to measure time to complete the FSST and TUG test.

Evaluations of concurrent and discriminative validity will be based on mean scores from the first measurement of rater A. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) will be used to assess the concurrent validity of the FSST and TUG tests. Between-groups discriminative validity of the FSST will be evaluated by the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post-hoc test. Both intra- and inter-rater reliability will be assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). ICC2,1 and ICC2,2 estimates and their 95% confidence intervals will be calculated based on absolute-agreement. Bland & Altman plots will be constructed to demonstrate agreement between TUG and FSST, and between assessments of rater A and B.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • aged 5 to 10 years,

Exclusion criteria

  • have musculoskeletal or neurological disorders,
  • have history of surgeries of the spine or orthopedic,
  • have uncorrected visual acuity.

Treatment and study plan

the Four Square Step test

Diagnostic Test

A square will be formed by using four 90 cm long canes placed on the ground. The sequence will be explained and demonstrated to the participants. They will be allowed one practice trial and subsequently two trials. Instructions will be given and encouraged to complete the sequence as fast as possible without touching the canes. The sequence of trial was 1,2,3,4,1,4,3,2,1. If a participant touch the canes, or perform the test sequence inaccurately, or both feet of the participant do not make contact with the floor in each square, the trial will be considered as unsuccessful and the test will be repeated. One unsuccessful trial will be allowed. The best time will be taken as the score of FSST which are completed successfully.

Primary outcomes

  1. The Four Square Step test

    Time frame: At baseline

    Assessing of the dynamic balance in typically developed children. A square will be formed by using four 90 cm long canes placed on the ground. Instructions will be given and encouraged to complete the sequence as fast as possible without touching the canes. The sequence of trial was 1,2,3,4,1,4,3,2,1. The best time will be taken as the score of FSST which are completed successfully.

Secondary outcomes

  1. The Time Up and Go test

    Time frame: At baseline

    Assessing of the dynamic balance in typically developed children. A three meter pathway on the testing floor will be marked with red colored masking tape. The TUG will be administered using 2 standard chairs. The best time will be taken as the score of TUG which are completed successfully.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Eastern Mediterranean University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Validity and Reliability of the Four Square Step Test in Typically Developed Children

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Oct 3, 2018
Registry last updated
Oct 1, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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