Otago Exercise Program on Balance, Endurance and Motor Coordination in Pre-school Children

Balance training is crucial for preschool children's motor development and physical health. Engaging in endurance training enhances their aerobic capacity and fitness, leading to better health and the ability to sustain activities without fatigue. Early endurance development fosters lifelong physical activity habits, preventing childhood obesity and related health issues. Incorporating playful elements makes exercises engaging and age-appropriate. Regular balance training improves dynamic balance, essential for running, jumping, and sports, while reducing the risk of falls and injuries. Motor coordination training, combining balance and endurance, improves complex movement skills and spatial awareness. Adapting the Otago Exercise Program for young children addresses gaps in physical activity interventions, combating inactivity and obesity. This program aims to establish a foundation for lifelong physical activity and health by improving balance, endurance, and motor coordination. The current study will be randomized control trial; data will be collected from Pre-school of Lahore. The sample size will be 30. Non-probability convenient sampling technique will be used. Inclusion criteria for the study will be both genders, 3-6 years age children and Guardians' informed consent and children were able to collaborate and engage throughout that intervention. Participants with associated orthopedics conditions, underlying genetic disorders and developmental delay will be excluded from the study. One experimental group will perform Otago Exercise Program (Warm-up Exercises and Strengthening Exercises) along balance Training Exercises and the other control group will perform Balance Training exercises (Single-leg stance with eyes open and closed, Standing on heels and toes, Tandem and semi tandem foot stance, Tandem walking, Walking backward and forward and Weight Shifting) Outcomes to be analyzed will be balance, endurance and motor coordination. For 12 weeks, participants in the study will undergo three sessions per week, lasting 40-45 minutes each. Tools used for data collection will be Four-stage balance test, 30 Second chair stand test and Time up and down stairs test, Balance beam test. Data will be analyzed through SPSS version 23.00.