Assessment of Postural Stability in Pediatric Population with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37762/jgmds.13-4.925Keywords:
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Postural Stability,, Balance, Pediatrics, Rheumatology,, Health Status Indicators.Abstract
OBJECTIVES
The study aimed to determine the postural stability of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).
METHODOLOGY
A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2024 to January 2025 at Children's Hospital Lahore. Seventy children aged 6- 15 years with JIA and active joint involvement were recruited through convenience sampling. The Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) was used to evaluate postural stability, and the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) was used to assess functional status. We used SPSS version 26 to analyse the data. Chi-square tests and descriptive statistics were applied.
RESULTS
The mean age was 11.6 (± 2.8) years, with 41 females (58.6%) and 29 males (41.4%). PBS scores showed 42 children (60%) with poor balance (score 0 20), 16 (22.9%) with moderate balance (21- 40), and 12 (17.1%) with good balance (41- 56). According to the CHAQ, 50 children (71.5%) reported much difficulty or were unable to perform everyday activities, while a further 9 (12.9%) reported some difficulty. A significant association was found between CHAQ functional level and PBS balance category (χ² = 15.42, p = 0.017), and a moderate negative correlation was observed between CHAQ and PBS total scores (r = -0.41, p < 0.001). No significant association was found between age and balance (p = 0.087).
CONCLUSION
A substantial proportion of children with JIA scored in the lower ranges of the PBS, and poorer balance was moderately correlated with greater functional disability. These findings support integrating balance assessment into routine clinical evaluation in pediatric JIA.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Amina Ashfaq, Somia Faisal, Sarfraz Ahmad, Amina Liaquat, Sajal Rehman Nawaz, Fatima Ali
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