Ann Rehabil Med.  2024 Aug;48(4):281-288. 10.5535/arm.230040.

Performance of Activities of Daily Living in Typically Developing Children in Korea: Normative Value of K-MBI

• Yoon MJ
• Paek S
• Lee J
• Hwang Y
• Kim JS
• Yoo YJ
• Hong BY

• KMID: 2558734
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.230040

Abstract

Objective
To determine the normative values of the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) score for typically developing children in Korea and assess its suitability for use in children.
Methods
Rehabilitation physicians and occupational therapists with children were invited through an online platform to participate in a survey assessing their children’s performance of activity of daily living (ADL) using the K-MBI. The questionnaire encompassed queries on sociodemographic information of children and the assessment criteria outlined in the K-MBI. The standardized K-MBI scores by age were estimated using the nonlinear least squares method.
Results
The analysis incorporated responses from a total of 206 individuals. K-MBI total scores showed a rapid increase over the first 8 years of life, with 99% of children achieving a score of 90 or higher by age 8. Mobility scores exhibited a swift increase during early childhood, surpassing 90% of the maximum score at 3 years of age and nearing 100% at 7 years of age. In contrast, self-care scores demonstrated a more gradual advancement, achieving approximately 100% of the maximum score by the age of 10 years.
Conclusion
Age-specific normative values for K-MBI scores of typically developing children were established, which can be used as a reference in clinical care. While the K-MBI captured the overall trajectory of children’s ADL development, it did not discern subtle differences across various developmental stages. There is a need for the development of more refined assessment tools tailored specifically to children.

Keyword

Activities of daily living; Child; Growth and development; Disability evaluation; Republic of Korea

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. The distribution of total scores of the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) according to age in typically developing children. The blue line depicts the standardized value of K-MBI total score. The dark grey area corresponds to the lower 5th percentile of K-MBI total score, and light grey area corresponds to the lower 1st percentile.

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  Fig. 2. Changes in scores by age for the 10 items of the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) evaluated in normally developing children (n=206). The blue and green series represents the self-care items (personal hygiene, bathing, feeding, toileting, dressing, bowel control, bladder control), and the red series represents the mobility items (stair climbing, ambulation, chair/bed transfer).

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  Fig. 3. Age-related changes in mobility scores and self-care scores on the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) (n=206). Percentages of sub-scores by age (n=206, %). The light grey line indicates the percentage of the total score, the red line represents self-care score percentage, and the blue line represents mobility score percentage. Percentages are calculated by dividing each score by its respective maximum value.

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