The effects of undernutrition on motor coordination and performance of 139 4.0-6.5 year-old Senegalese children were studied. The sample was partitioned into three nutritional history groups: 54 children exposed chronically to a mild-to-moderate form of undernutrition (group A), 52 children hospitalized for severe undernutrition during infancy and nutritionally rehabilitated but who had been subsequently exposed to moderate undernutrition (group B); and 33 children from well-off urban households (group C). Tests included six items from the McCarthy (arm coordination) and the Charlop-Atwell (gross motor coordination) scales, and five motor fitness items (endurance run, shuttle run, distance throw, standing long jump, grip strength). Performances improved with age, and boys performed better than girls in all motor fitness tests except the jump, but not in motor coordination items. In general, group C performed better than group A and B in most of the tests. Body dimensions explained a significant part of variance of motor performance, and stature was the main predictor. After removing the effect of age and body size, differences between nutritional groups disappeared in motor performance, but persisted in certain motor coordination items. It is concluded that chronic undernutrition reflected by reduced body size and perhaps muscle mass is an important determinant of the motor performance of preschool Senegalese children.
The effects of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) on the motor performance of 4.5-6.5-year-old Senegalese children were studied. Body dimensions included weight, lengths, circumferences, and four skinfolds. Motor performance tests included a 3-min endurance run, 4 x 10 m shuttle-run, distance throw, standing long jump and grip strength. The sample consisted of 147 children: 52 children who were hospitalized for severe undernutrition (severe UN group) during infancy but who had been nutritionally rehabilitated; 63 children who were never severely malnourished but who were chronically exposed to mild-to-moderate undernutrition up to the time of study (chronic UN group); and 32 well nourished children (well nourished group) from well-off households. After adjusting for sex and age, the well nourished group performed better than the severe UN and chronic UN groups. Principal components analysis resulted in two factors which explained 65% of the variance in anthropometry and motor performance. One was related to body size and the second to body composition. The three nutritional groups differed significantly in principal component scores for the two factors; chronic UN and severe UN children also differed for the second factor. Body composition, especially low fat mass appeared to be an important feature for motor performance in chronically undernourished children.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.