Abstract

As the incidence and severity of overweight and obesity in children continue to rise, determining the physiological effects and functional consequences of this epidemic are becoming increasingly important. The latter have been the least studied, underestimating its impact on functional performance in the school system and social participation. Objective: To analyze the postural control in children with overweight and obesity. Material and methods: ex post facto study was conducted in three public schools in the community of Talca, Chile. The sample was selected under a probabilistic approach (stratified). The sample included 186 students (95 men and 91 women), ranging between 6 and 9 years old Talca, Chile. Weight and height were measured. The postural control was measured with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) on a force platform. The following variables were obtained pressure center: area, mean velocity, velocity mediolateral (ML) and velocity anteroposterior (AP). Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in mean velocity OA (p = 0.012), velocity ML OA (p = 0.015), velocity AP OA (p = 0.015), velocity ML OC (p = 0.026) and velocity AP OC (p <0.001). In men, the differences were more evident than in women. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results of this study show that there is a deficit of postural control in children between 6 to 9 years of age, being more evident in men and EC condition.