20.500.12556/RUL-184108 Factors of modern lifestyle influencing gait pattern alterations in elementary school children a mini review Development of gait in elementary school children represents a sensitive period of locomotor maturation; however, contemporary lifestyle factors such as heavy school backpack carriage, inappropriate footwear, and the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity can disrupt normal biomechanical gait patterns and potentially compromise musculoskeletal health. This mini review synthesizes current evidence on how selected modern lifestyle factors influence gait biomechanics in elementary school-aged children (approximately 6–14 years). Based on a comprehensive review of 35 highly relevant studies, the evidence reveals that three primary lifestyle factors significantly alter children's gait biomechanics: backpack carriage, footwear characteristics, and childhood obesity. Backpack loads exceeding 10%–12% of body weight consistently produce alterations in spatiotemporal parameters, ground reaction forces, and postural control. Footwear design, particularly sole flexibility, heel elevation, and barefoot vs. shod conditions modifies foot kinematics, plantar pressure distribution, and joint mechanics. Childhood overweight and obesity induce substantial changes in gait velocity, stride characteristics, joint loading patterns, and plantar pressures. These findings have important implications for school health policies, footwear recommendations, and obesity prevention programs. The evidence underscores the need for multifaceted interventions addressing these modifiable lifestyle factors to promote healthy musculoskeletal development and prevent long-term locomotor dysfunction in children. children elementary school factors gait pattern modern lifestyle razvoj hoje gibalni sistem biomehanika dejavniki življenjskega sloga nošenje nahrbtnika lastnosti obutve debelost v otroštvu otroci osnovne šole true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-06-29 07:38:03 2026-06-29 07:38:05 2026-06-30 04:00:53 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 7 str. art. 1816590 Vol. 14 17 June 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 373.32.016:79 2296-2360 10.3389/fped.2026.1816590 282578179 RAZ_Kasovic_Mario_2026.pdf RAZ_Kasovic_Mario_2026.pdf 1 C3AC8E63E6E9DD8995A3FD71C71448B1 3c775c5fd6924ca5906c49fffcb60eaff7ef2954b896417fcb2101f2cf170534 affa687d-737d-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=236584 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2026.1816590/full 1 9b682dbd-737c-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=236582 Pedagoška fakulteta 0 0 0