We aimed to evaluate the relationship between gross motor coordination (MC) and academic achievement (AA) in a sample of Portuguese children aged 9-12 years. The study took place during the 2009/2010 school year and involved 596 urban children (281 girls) from the north of Portugal. AA was assessed using the Portuguese Language and Mathematics National Exams. Gross MC was evaluated with the Körperkoordination Test für Kinder. Cardiorespiratory fitness was predicted by a maximal multistage 20-m shuttle-run test of the Fitnessgram Test Battery. Body weight and height were measured following standard procedures. Socio-economic status was based on annual family income. Logistic Regression was used to analyze the association of gross MC with AA. 51.6% of the sample exhibited MC disorders or MC insufficiency and none of the participants showed very good MC. In both genders, children with insufficient MC or MC disorders exhibited a higher probability of having low AA, compared with those with normal or good MC (p<.05 for trend for both) after adjusting for cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index and socio-economic status.

RESUMOOs propósitos da presente investigação foram: (1) caracterizar o estado de desenvolvimento da coordenação motora ao longo dos quatro anos do 1º ciclo do ensino básico (1CEB); (2) mapear as diferenças entre as crianças dos dois sexos; e (3) identificar a presença de insuficiência de desenvolvimento coordenativo. A amostra foi constituída por 3742 crianças de ambos os sexos dos 6 aos 10 anos de idade a frequentar o 1CEB na Região Autónoma dos Açores. A coordenação foi avaliada através da bateria de testes de coordenação corporal (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder -KTK) que é composta por quatro testes: (1) equilíbrio em marcha à retaguarda (ER); (2) saltos laterais (SL); (3) saltos monopedais (SM); e (4) transposição lateral (TL). A partir do resultado de cada teste, e através da utilização das tabelas de valores normativos fornecidas pelo manual, obtém-se um quociente motor (QM). Fez-se a análise teste a teste e ao QM. Para além das medidas descritivas (média e desvio-padrão), recorreu-se à ANOVA factorial para identificar diferenças entre os sexos ao longo da idade, e utilizou-se a função discriminante para testar a presença de perfis multivariados de coordenação motora. Verificou-se que, em ambos os sexos e em todas as provas da bateria, ocorre um incremento significativo dos valores médios de cada teste ao longo da idade, tendo os meninos valores médios superiores aos das meninas em todos os intervalos etários em todos os itens da bateria, com a excepção dos SL. Os valores médios do desempenho nas quatro provas são inferiores aos valores médios obtidos noutros estudos realizados, quer em Portugal, quer no estrangeiro. Contrariamente ao esperado, os valores médios do QM decrescem com a idade. A generalidade das crianças, em ambos os sexos e nos diferentes intervalos etários, situa-se no intervalo de insuficiência coordenativa e de perturbações de coordenação. Constata-se, em ambos os sexos, a tendência generalizada para as crianças de uma idade mostrarem perfis de coordenação motora inferiores àqueles que são esperados para a sua idade. Tal circunstância revela uma forte insuficiência em aspectos do desenvolvimento coordenativo nas diferentes idades.Palavras-chave: coordenação motora, diferenças entre sexos, perfis multivariados. ABSTRACT Motor coordination level of school aged children (6-10 years) of the Azores Islands The purposes of this investigation were: (1) to characterize the developmental state of motor coordination in primary school children; (2) to identify differences between children of both genders; and to (3) identify the presence of insufficient motor coordination. Sample comprises 3742 children of both genders with 6 to 10 years of age. Motor coordination was evaluated with the test battery "Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder" (KTK). The battery comprises four tests: backward balance (ER), jumping sideways (SL), hopping on one leg (SM), and shifting platforms (TL

Our findings suggested that PA levels per se may not overcome the deleterious influence of high levels of SB on MC. Our data stress the importance of discouraging SB among children to improve MC.

Background: Several methods exist to asses and control physical intensity levels of subjects engaged in physical activities programs, accelerometry is a method that could be easily used in the field. The purposes were: to calibrate Actigraph in middle-aged to old obese/overweight and DM2 adult patients; and to determine the threshold counts for sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity (PA). Methods: Sample comprise 26 participants (62.6 ± 6.5 years of age) of both gender. Counts and VO2 were simultaneously assessed during: resting, seating, standing, walking at 2.5 km•h-1 , 5 km•h-1 , and 6 km•h-1. A hierarchical linear model was used to derive a regression equation between MET and counts. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to define thresholds for PA levels. Results: The regression equation was: MET = 1.388400490262 + 0.001312683420044 (counts•min-1), r = .867. The threshold counts for sedentary-light, light-moderate and moderate-vigorous PA were: 200, 1240, 2400 counts•min-1 respectively. Conclusion: The Actigraph is a valid and useful device for the assessment of the amount of time spent in each PA intensity levels in obese/overweight and DM2 middle-aged to old adult patients.

Body fat percentage and waist circumference showed a slightly better discriminatory accuracy in predicting low motor coordination for females and for males, respectively.