Different flooring surfaces affect infants' crawling performance. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Choi, Jeewon; Ogawa, Takeru; Takesue, Shin; Muraki, Satoshi; Inoue, Youki; Abe, Hikari; Yamanoi, Emi
• Is Part Of: Applied ergonomics. Volume 98(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: Crawling motion -- Flooring -- 3D motion capture; Human engineering -- Periodicals; 620.82
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103553
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-6870

Abstract

Abstract: This study assessed the influence of different types of flooring on infants' crawling motion patterns and performance. Each participating infant (range: 8.7-12.4 months) was encouraged to crawl on a tatami mat made of woven straw as well as other flooring types such as hardwood, carpet, and joint mat. Material tests were conducted to quantify the friction and shock absorption of the flooring. A three-dimensional motion capture system was used to measure spatiotemporal and kinematic variables during hands-and-knees crawling. An increased crawling rate was associated with a faster cadence of cyclic arm movements, but not with crawling stride length. Hardwood flooring had a significantly lower crawling rate and longer duration of hand-floor contact than tatami, while the crawling stride length and range of motion of joint movements were hardly affected by flooring type. The results of this study suggest a drawback of hardwood flooring in terms of infants' effective quadrupedal locomotion. Highlights: Infants' crawling motion patterns were analyzed using 3D motion capture system. Infants were encouraged to crawl on hardwood, carpet, joint mat, and tatami. Faster crawling rate was associated with a higher cadence. Hardwood flooring may hinder smooth crawling motion and performance.