The role of sport participation and body mass index in predicting motor competence of school-age children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between Sport Participation (SP) and Motor Competence (MC) in school-age children, and to assess the mediation role of Body Mass Index (BMI) on this association. 707 children (332 boys, 375 girls) aged between 6-to 10 years participated in the study. Motor competence was determined using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2). Parents were asked about organized SP, categorized as 1) no participation, 2) partial participation and 3) consistent participation, and BMI was calculated based on the child's height and weight. The results indicated significant differences for all MC components and total score for SP categories, all p < .05, with higher results for consistent participation in sports. For BMI, significant differences occurred in all components, with the exception of fine manual control and manual coordination. Our findings showed that SP was associated with MC, and BMI was not an important factor in these relationships. However, a small mediation of BMI was found, but only for obese children. In summary, we conclude that sport participation plays a relevant role in the development of motor competence in school-age children, and that association is, in general, not mediated by weight status. Palavras-chave: Motor competence. Body mass index. Sport participation. School-age children. RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a associação entre Participação Esportiva (PE) e Competência Motora (CM) em crianças em idade escolar e avaliar o papel da mediação do Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) nesta associação. Foram avaliadas 707 crianças (332 meninos, 375 meninas) com idades entre 6 e 10 anos participaram do estudo. A competência motora foi determinada usando o Teste Bruininks-Oseretsky de Proficiência Motora (BOT-2). Os pais foram questionados sobre a SP organizada, categorizada como 1) sem participação, 2) participação parcial e 3) participação consistente, e o IMC foi calculado com base na altura e no peso da criança. Os resultados indicaram diferenças significativas para todos os componentes do CM e escore total para as categorias de PS, todos p <0,05, com resultados mais altos para a participação consistente nos esportes. Para o IMC, ocorreram diferenças significativas em todos os componentes, com exceção do controle manual e da coordenação manual. Nossos achados mostraram que a SP estava associada à CM, e o IMC não foi um fator importante nessas relações. No entanto, uma pequena mediação do IMC foi encontrada, mas apenas para crianças obesas. Concluímos que a participação esportiva desempenha um papel relevante no desenvolvimento da competência motora em crianças em idade escolar, e essa associação, em geral, não é mediada pelo status de peso. Palavras-chave: Competência motora. Índice de massa corporal. Participação esportiva. Crianças em idade escolar.

Children's Physical Self-Concept, Motivation, and Physical Performance: Does Physical Self-Concept or Motivation Play a Mediating Role?

“…However, results of this study also yielded a slightly negative regression path of extrinsic motivation on physical performance, indicating that extrinsic motivation is rather detrimental for children's physical performance. In addition, girls and children with a higher BMI had a significantly lower physical self-concept and a lower total performance score than boys and children with a lower BMI, as also earlier shown in previous studies (e.g., Deaner et al, 2016;Ferreira et al, 2019;Queiroz et al, 2020). By implication, girls and children with a higher BMI are at risk and should be supported in physical activities by, for instance, specific physical tests related to their individual motor skills to sustainably motivate them to more physical activities and a healthier lifestyle.…”

“…Interventions targeted at improving younger children's physical performance should thus establish conditions to promote children's physical selfconcept and intrinsic motivation by means of adapting the level of motor skill tests to children's individual physical abilities, providing positive feedback to their physical performance, and enhancing their individual progress (Deci and Ryan, 2002). This may be of particular importance for girls and children with a higher BMI who showed a much lower physical self-concept and poorer physical performance in this study and many other studies (e.g., Morano et al, 2011;Zsakai et al, 2017;Ferreira et al, 2019;Queiroz et al, 2020).…”

Relationship between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Body Composition with Physical Fitness Parameters in a Young Active Population

“…However, despite the differences in the aforementioned variables with respect to gender, percentage of body fat and percentage of muscle mass at the various levels of body composition were established in previous studies [39]. No significant differences in BMI were found between boys and girls due to daily PA that positively affects their BMI [40]. The results show how ideal adherence to the MD appears to be associated with elevated levels of cardiorespiratory fitness.…”

Pengaruh aktivitas fisik program gross motor skill terhadap indeks massa tubuh dan tingkat kebugaran jasmani

“…Pada anak usia sekolah peran kompetensi motorik dalam beberapa hasil kesehatan, seperti aktivitas fisik, dan kebugaran kardiorespirasi. Partisipasi olahraga dapat dicirikan sebagai keterlibatan dalam praktik terorganisir yang memberikan kesempatan aktif secara fisik serta bantuan perkembangan psikososial kecakapan hidup (Ferreira et al, 2019). Aktivitas fisik pada anak usia dini atau usia sekolah dasar dikaitkan secara positif dengan pencapaian motorik kasar, peningkatan kebugaran, dan kesehatan psikososial (Benjamin-Neelon et al, 2019).…”