Postural control has two main functional goals: postural orientation and balance. It relies on the integration of motor, sensory, and cognitive systems to regulate body positioning under different conditions. It is influenced by age, physical activity level, and psychosocial aspects. University populations are considered healthy due to age and period of life. However, there have been growing concerns related to them, since mental health has suffered the impact from the academic and social demands.

To describe the postural control of undergraduate university students.

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted with 96 undergraduate university students (73.26% female; mean age = 21.85 ± 2.24 years). Participants underwent static postural control assessments using a force platform (stabilometry) in two conditions: eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC), with a duration of 60 seconds for each condition. The parameters analyzed included elliptical sway area, standard deviation, mean frequency, and mean velocity in both the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) axis. Data were described by presenting mean and standard deviation. A paired t-test was also conducted to compare EO and EC conditions. EC/EO ratio for elliptical sway area was calculated using the following formula: (EC - EO / EC + EO) * 100.

The mean elliptical sway area was 284.73 ± 125.42 mm² under the EO, and 367.28 ± 230.48 mm² in EC condition. The standard deviation of sway was 5.00 ± 1.48 mm in the AP axis and 4.77 ± 1.24 mm in the ML axis for the EO condition, and 5.59 ± 2.08 mm in the AP axis and 5.26 ± 1.61 mm in the ML axis for the EC one. The mean frequency of sway was 0.17 ± 0.07 Hz in the AP axis and 0.23 ± 0.08 Hz in the ML axis with EO, and 0.24 ± 0.10 Hz in the AP axis and 0.31 ± 0.11 Hz in the ML axis with EC. Mean velocity was 13.34 ± 4.38 mm/s in the AP axis and 10.37 ± 1.97 mm/s in the ML axis for the EO condition, and 15.09 ± 4.29 mm/s in the AP axis and 13.07 ± 3.53 mm/s in the ML axis for the EC condition. A significant difference was found when comparing EO and EC elliptical sway area, with t(95) = - 4.56, p < .001. Finally, 67.71% of the participants were more reliant on vision (positive EC/EO ratio).

The findings provide a descriptive profile of postural control on undergraduate students. As expected, there was an effect from the visual condition, with EC showing higher values across all parameters. In addition, the values described herein differed when compared to previous studies that assessed healthy individuals of the same age, strengthening the relevance of investigating the mechanisms surrounding that process.

This study contributes to physiotherapy by providing insights into postural control in undergraduate students. Alterations in stabilometric variables, compared to a healthy group of the same age, could suggest other factors, such as psychological ones modulating postural control.