Is Body Fat Mass Associated with Worse Gross Motor Skills in Preschoolers? (original) (raw)

Motor performance, body fatness and environmental factors in preschool children

Journal of sports sciences, 2018

The first aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between motor performance and body fatness among 3- to 5-year-old children. The second aim was to assess whether this relationship works similarly for boys and girls. We also investigated whether socioeconomic status (SES) and geographical area when children are aged 3 years old predicts the motor performance of 4 and 5-yr-old children. Motor performance was assessed through the Preschool Test Battery, while body fatness was estimated through body mass index (BMI). SES and geographical area were assessed via parent proxy-report questionnaires. BMI was negatively associated with standing long jump. The association of BMI and motor performance was not statistically different for boys and girls. Children from low SES performed better than high SES peers in tennis ball throw for distance. Rural children were better performers than urban peers in standing long jump. Rural area at baseline was also predictor of standing long ...

Relation Between Percent Body Fat and Fundamental Motor Skills in Pre-School Children age 3-6 years

2017

It is quite well known that excessive body fat in children is interpreted as a marker of inhibited physical activity and motor performance. This study aimed to establish whether severe impairment of fundamental motor skills (defined as performance under 5th centile of norms) will be significantly more frequently identified in pre-schoolers age 3-6 years with amount of body fat higher than 85th centile of norms. Research sample consisted of 496 (females=241, males=255) pre-schoolers selected from specific district of Prague, Czech Republic. The MABC-2 was used for the assesment fundamental motor skills. Equations for body fat estimation in children identified 35.8% children with body fat˃85th centile of norms, 61.7% within 15th–85th centile, and 2.5% of children˂15th centile of norms. Results revealed that children whose body fat was higher than 85th centile of norms or lower than 15th centile had double the frequency of severe motor problems. Interestingely on the other hand we foun...

The Percentage of Body Fat in Children and the Level of their Motor Skills

2015

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary education pupils and to identify differences in motor skills between normal weight, excessive and obese pupils. Partial aim was to determine differences in motor status of girls and boys and their anthropometric characteristics (Body Mass Index, body fat percentage). The study was conducted in two primary schools in Zagreb, Ivan Goran Kovačić and Davorin Trstenjak. Total of 333 pupils, aged 7-11, were measured (178 boys and 155 girls). Four anthropometric and seven motor variables were used to analyze differences in motor abilities of children. Children were divided into three groups within gender based on their body fat measures. We established a statistically significant difference in motor abilities between groups of subjects in three subsamples (1st-2nd class girls and 3rd-4th boys and girls). Children with normal weight have better results in explosive strength, coordination, static st...

Relationship between Motor Performance and Body Composition in Brazilian School Children

2018

Introduction: Modern society is faced with limitations to practice physical activity, due to the lack of infrastructure, lack of time, lack of public safety and growth of sedentary activities that favor a sedentary lifestyle. Objective: Examined the relationship between motor performance and body composition of school children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with schoolchildren between 9 and 10 years of age from a public school in the city of Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil. We measured the Metabolic Equivalent, body composition and motor performance. For the analysis of association between variables, the Mann-Whitney test and Spearman correlation test were used. Results: The sample comprised 123 children with 65% being females, 57.72% was classified as appropriate regarding fat percentage and 62.61% as eutrophic for BMI. In relation to motor performance, 60.98% was below ideal. When the association between motor performance and gender was evaluated, it was observed that...

Association between Body Composition and Motor Performance in Preschool Children

Obesity Facts

Being overweight makes physical movement more difficult. Our aim was to investigate the association between body composition and motor performance in preschool children. Methods: A total of 476 predominantly normal-weight preschool children (age 3.9 ± 0.7 years; m/f: 251/225; BMI 16.0 ± 1.4 kg/m 2) participated in the Swiss Preschoolers' Health Study (SPLASHY). Body composition assessments included skinfold thickness, waist circumference (WC), and BMI. The Zurich Neuromotor Assessment (ZNA) was used to assess gross and fine motor tasks. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, sociocultural characteristics, and physical activity (assessed with accelerometers), skinfold thickness and WC were both inversely correlated with jumping sideward (gross motor task β-coefficient

The Relationship Between Motor Skill Proficiency and Body Mass Index in Preschool Children

Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 2011

I n recent years, the nearly ubiquitous observation that individuals are becoming more overweight and obese has serious implications for the health and well being of future generations. The prevalence of obesity in adults has increased from 15% to 32.9% since the late 1970s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2007). Some evidence points to a relationship between childhood and adult obesity. Individuals who are overweight and obese in childhood are more likely to stay overweight and obese through adolescence and into adulthood (Nader et al., 2006). Research has estimated that 13.9% of children ages 2-5 years are currently obese (CDC, 2007), and 12.6% of girls and 15.1% of boys ages 2-5 years may be overweight (Ogden, Carroll, & Curtin, 2006). Although more recent statistics suggest that from 1999 to 2008 obesity among children and adolescents has remained relatively stable, the high prevalence is still of significant concern (Ogden, Carroll, Curtin, Lamb, & Flegal, 2010). Children who are overweight and obese do not typically exhibit medical symptoms or conditions, but the underlying physiological changes that may lead to conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes, begin in this early stage of development (Daniels, 2006). Overweight and obese individuals are more likely to experience social and emotional consequences, which include depression and difficulty in establishing peer relationships (Daniels, 2006). Due to the link between childhood and adult obesity, as well as the health consequences for overweight or obese children, efforts to better understand the roots of this epidemic are essential. Physical activity levels are a potential cause of obesity and have received empirical attention

Birthweight, body composition, and motor performance in 7- to 10-year-old children

Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 2014

Fat-free mass KTK K€ orper Koordination Test f€ ur Kinder VO 2max Maximal oxygen consumption AIM The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of birthweight on motor performance and body composition in children. Further, we investigated whether associations between birthweight and motor performance changed after adjustment for current height, body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass (FFM), and % body fat.

Body Mass Index and Motor Status of Preschool Children

Спортске науке и здравље - АПЕИРОН, 2020

The purpose of this study is to establish the existence of gender differences in motor skills in the preschool period as well as to check their nutritional status. The classification of their nutritional status has been performed based on their body mass index (BMI), based on the percentile values according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2000). Total sample consisted of 188 examinees with average values of body height (BH=124.59 cm±5.76) and body weight (BW=24.32 kg±3.11) with average age of 6.39±0.44 years, out which boys (N=107) and girls (N=81). Non-experimental research design, ex post facto correlation research plan, has been used. The battery with seven motor tests according to Bala and Popović (2007), has been used in this research. The study results show that the prevalence of malnourished children is 10.64%, well nourished 72.34%, tending to become obese 9.57% and obese children 7.44%, also with the existing gender difference in motor abilities in favour of...

Motor fitness and preschooler children obesity status

Journal of sports sciences, 2016

The aim of this study was to examine the association between motor fitness (MF) and obesity status in preschool children. The sample comprised 467 children aged 3-6 years. Preschool children body mass index was classified according to International Obesity Task Force and categorised into three levels, normal, overweight and obesity. Total physical activity was assessed by accelerometer and MF test was assessed through two MF tests 10 × 5m shuttle run test (SRT) and a 7 m jumping distance on 2 feet test (J2F). Low MF was considered for MF if SD above 1. A single variable with three categories was created: low MF medium MF and high MF. The prevalence of normal weight, overweight and obesity was 67.6%, 22.7% and 9.7%, respectively. The prevalence of SD > 1 for SRT was 13.7% and 14.4% for J2F, for single variable was 19.2%. Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that obese preschoolers were more likely six times classified as having low MF level than their non-overweight coun...

Relationship between body mass index and gross motor skill in four to six year-old children

This study had to aim to verify the relationship between performance in gross motor skill tasks and body mass index (BMI) in four to six year-old boys and girls. 27 children were analyzed, 16 boys and 11 girls, mean age of 5.64 ± 0.67 years. The children were submitted to the Test of Gross Motor Development-Second Edition (TGMD-2), proposed by Ulrich (2000) and to the Körperkoordinations test für Kinder (KTK), proposed by Kiphard and Schilling (1974). The punctuation obtained in the two tests was reduced to a scale common to both. The correlation between this scale and the BMI of the children was verified through the Spearman correlation test, with P < 0.05. No significant interaction was observed among variables when boys and girls were analyzed or when the analysis was conducted with gender distinction. Moreover, no interaction between the BMI and tasks which required higher demand of physical capacities was observed, which should be verified in further studies. It was possible to conclude from our results, that the performance of four to six year-old children in tasks which involved gross motor skill did not relate with BMI.