Objective: To model changes in body mass index (BMI), including its stability, and to investigate the association between physical activity, 1-mile run/walk and levels of gross motor coordination and BMI during 5 consecutive years. Design: A longitudinal study of children 6 years of age at baseline followed at annual intervals over 5 years. Subjects: A total of 285 children (143 boys and 142 girls) were enrolled in grade 1 (age 6 years) and followed through grade 5 (age 10 years). Measurements: BMI was recorded and physical activity was assessed by questionnaire, aerobic fitness was evaluated with the 1-mile run/walk and gross motor coordination was measured with the KTK test battery (Körperkoordination test für Kinder). Multilevel modelling techniques were for the primary analysis. Results: Changes in BMI showed similar curvilinear trends in boys and girls, with ample inter-individual crossing trajectories that is, low tracking. Longitudinal changes in physical activity (PA) and aerobic fitness were not significantly associated with BMI-changes during the 5 years. Children who were more proficient in their motor coordination showed lower values of BMI during the 5 years. Conclusions: BMI trajectories of both boys and girls show low tracking of BMI-values. Considerable inter-individual variation exists both in baseline BMI-values and changes (velocity and acceleration) over time. PA and fitness were not associated with BMI-changes, but gross motor function was negatively associated with BMI-changes. No gender-specific associations were found. If confirmed in other populations these observations could be translated in the promotion of physical activities that improve gross motor function in children aged 6-10 years. This seems to be of major importance for the physical education curriculum of primary school children.

Crescimento, maturação, aptidão física, força explosiva e habilidades motoras específicas. Estudo em jovens futebolistas e não futebolistas do sexo masculino dos 12 aos 16 anos de idade ABSTRACT Growth, maturation, physical fitness, explosive strength and specific motor skills. A study in Portuguese young soccer players and sedentary young people from 12 to 16 years old.This study had the following purposes: to investigate the impact of selection and training on body build, physical fitness (PF), explosive strenght (ES) and specific motor skills (SMS) in Portuguese young soccer players. Sample included 226 subjects, 12 through 16 years of age, divided in 3 groups (G1-infants; G2-beginners; G3-juveniles) of soccer players (SP) and sedentary subjects (SS) of the same age. Somatic measures included height, weight, girths, breadths and skinfolds. Body composition assessed fat mass and the lean mass with Boileau et al. (1985) formula. Somatotype was rated according to the Heath-Carter method (1967). Genital development was evaluated by the Tanner method (1962). Physical fitness was measured by the AAHPERD (1987) test battery performance related. The evaluation of the ES was accomplished through the Bosco (1983) procedures, and SMS with the test battery of the Federação Portuguesa de Futebol (1986). Statistical procedures included: mean, standard deviation, Qui-Square, the t-test and ANCOVA. In G1 maturation, selection and training had no relevant effect favouring SP in comparison with SY in the somatic structure and ES. On the contrary, it was verified that training had an impact on SP in the great majority of components of the PF except standing long jump and 12 minute run. In G2 maturation, selection and training had no effect favouring SP, in the weight, meso and ecto somatotype components, SJ and CMJ. On the other hand, on SP, training had an impact in fat mass, endomorphy and in the majority of the components of the PF, but not standing long jump and 12 minute run. In G3 there was no remarkable effect of maturation, selection and training favouring SP relatively to SY, in the endomorphy, SJ and CMJ. On the contrary, it was stated, on SP, that training had an impact in weight, in lean mass and in the great majority components of PF but not standing long jump and 12 minute run.Key Words: Growth, Maturation, Physical Fitness, Explosive strength, Motor skills. RESUMOEste estudo investiga o impacto da maturação, da selecção e do treino na estrutura somática (ES), na aptidão física (AF), na força explosiva (FE) e nas habilidades motoras específicas (HME) de jovens jogadores de futebol. A amostra é constituída por 226 sujeitos com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e os 16 anos distribuídos por 3 grupos (G1-infantis; G2-iniciados e G2-juvenis) de jogadores de futebol (JF) e de jovens sedentários (JS) do mesmo escalão etário. As medidas somáticas analisadas incluíram a altura, o peso, os perímetros, os diâmetros e pregas de adiposidade subcutânea que permitiram estimar dois compartimentos da massa corporal e o somatótipo....

The combination of school absences, parental pain, sleeping difficulties, inappropriate school furniture and postural deviations at the sagittal and frontal planes seem to prove the multifactorial aetiology of back pain.

Results highlight the need to consider not only PA, but also PF and GMC in health promotion through the primary school years.

Coordination readiness: multivariate profiles based upon age, sex, and socioeconomic status Purpose: To describe motor coordination levels (CoM), their centile distribution, as well as identify the coordinative readiness of Peruvian children as a function of age, sex and socioeconomic status. Methodology: Sample size included 4007 children (n=1889 females; n=2118 males) between 6 and 11 years of age (young = 8,99; children = 9,07) from several schools of the metropolitan area of Lima, Perú. CoM was assessed with the KTK, a battery of tests that includes: balancing backward (BB), hopping on one leg (HO), jumping sideways (JS) and shifting platforms (SP). Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed according to the physical localization of each school (type of neighborhood). Exploratory, descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were used, including: multivariate analysis of variance, discriminant function and chi square. Percentile charts were constructed in the LMS software version 1.32. Results: Significant increases in mean values of CoM were found in both sexes, and across age groups. Reclassification values of CoM in their original ages are low and presents a decreased tendency throughout age (30% to 23% and 30% to 20% in girls and boys, respectively). SES is not a relevant predictor of differences in coordination profiles of children. Conclusions: The development of coordination is highly gender specific. There is a clear trend, in boys and girls, to show a coordination profile that is lower than expected for their chronological age. SES is not a conclusive predictor in the development of motor coordination profiles of children.