Abstracto

Timed Up and Go test: Reference data for Saudi preschool children.

Afrah Almuwais, Reham Alomary, Seham Asiri, Rawan Alyahya, Maryam Alhejji, Samiah Alqabbani*

Objective:To find reference values for the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test on typically developed Saudi preschool children aged from 3 to 5 years, and to determine whether differences in test scores are based on age or gender.

Material and Methods: This pilot exploratory study involved determining TUG values of Saudi preschool-aged children with typical development. Differences in the mean and standard deviation of TUG values for each age group, gender, height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) were tested.

Results: During the study period, 61 typically developed Saudi preschool children aged 4.37 ± 1.10 were tested, with 55.7% of the sample being male. TUG values ranged from 4.74 to 5.20 seconds across all age groups, with time taken tending to decrease for older children in the study group. No significant differences between males and females in TUG timing (P=0.81) were observed.

Conclusion: This study provides reference data for the TUG test in typically developed Saudi preschoolers, which may benefit clinicians in assessing children with developmental delays and comparing them to age-matched norms.