A Systematic Review of Interventions Related to Body Awareness in Childhood

Abstract

Body image involves perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs concerning one’s body, while body schema involves the sensorimotor capacities to control movement and posture. A review study is needed to obtain sufficient data to determine the effect of body awareness on the normal development of children. This study is a systematic review of interventions related to body awareness among typically developing children. Studies focusing on interventions related to body awareness from 2010 to 2021 were analyzed and extracted from four major scientific databases, and the three that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Methods were analyzed by frequency, and the results were analyzed by calculating effect sizes. Two studies involved a nonrandomized two-group design and a single-case experimental study. Two studies targeted early childhood, and one study focused on middle childhood. This review indicates that determining the effectiveness of interventions related to body awareness is necessary for typically developing children because body awareness is a potential influencing factor in their development. Additional research is needed to determine the effectiveness of body awareness assessment tools and interventions.