Assessment of Motor Performances in Italian Primary School Children: Results of SBAM Project

Abstract

The aim of this study was to present the results of the triennial SBAM regional program aimed at monitoring 8-year old children in the Apulian region of Southern Italy from 2013 to 2016. The program included at launch 17,102 children in the first year, 16,104 children in the second year and 14,847 children in the third year. The sample who completed the monitoring was less than the number of children recruited for organizational and didactic reasons (N = 15,231, N = 14,147 and N = 13,362). SBAM was a multi-component program and included different integrated action plans: physical education, active transport (pedibus), and methods for developing healthy eating habits. For each year, four motor tests (long jump standing, shuttle run, 6 min walk test, and medicine ball throw), a motor coordination test and two self-reports for evaluating self-efficacy and enjoyment were proposed to all children. The results showed gender and group differences (normal-weight vs. overweight-obese) in both motor tests and self-reports (p < 0.05). The annual results of the motor tests were sorted in deciles in order to have a regional observation and monitoring database concerning the motor development skills among children and preadolescents. Boys showed motor performance, perceived self-efficacy scores and enjoyment higher than females in three years. Growth influences the development of motor abilities; overweight and obese males and females showed a different development of motor performance that was lower than in children with a BMI in the norm. It is necessary to develop physical education in primary school, increasing opportunities and adapting them to the needs of all children. SBAM project highlighted the need to promote interdisciplinary and inter-institutional actions to promote child health and acquire physically active lifestyles.

Increase in BMI and Negative Muscular Strength Trends in Adolescents in 1990 and 2020: Results from the Regional Observatory of Motor Development in Southern Italy

“…Contrary to findings evidenced by other studies [24,33], according to which the BMI increase it corresponds an increase of the upper limbs strength in the MBT, this study did not provide a significant relation between BMI and MBT. This could imply a flattening of motor performance and upper limb strength levels, regardless of BMI levels.…”

Can Enjoyment and Physical Self-Perception Mediate the Relationship between BMI and Levels of Physical Activity? Preliminary Results from the Regional Observatory of Motor Development in Italy

“…The present study showed significant differences in PAL and PSP between the normalweight, overweight, and obese samples, especially in girls, while there were no significant differences in enjoyment. This study partially confirms previous results obtained in the Apulian Regional Observatory Project [19,20]. Similar results were also obtained in the study by Baños et al (2021), highlighting that enjoyment during physical education is closely related to the quantity and quality of time spent in physical activity during leisure time [36].…”

“…but also the choice of contents, motor tasks, and organizational methods enriched by the knowledge of the teaching styles and didactic approaches that can best promote motor learning and motor development. The teaching−learning process is necessarily carried out through a wide repertoire of contents and organizational methods, but it develops and proceeds beyond this context, mobilizing different factors that structure motor competence itself, which highlights the teacher's mediating role [19,20,23,36]. Yap (2021) focused on the relationship between motivation factors and the variability of teaching styles, recommending the implementation of physical education programs and interventions that use different teaching styles [51] to activate different areas of the person (motor, emotional, and cognitive) [52].…”

“…These factors are closely related, as pleasant and fun motor experiences determine a greater awareness of the practice of motor activities in different contexts and at different ages [18]. Studies have reported lower levels of physical self-perception and enjoyment in overweight and obese children than in normalweight ones [19,20]. Of note, Vaquero-Solìs et al (2021) suggested the important role of self-perception and happiness in mediating the relation between physical activity and quality of life, regardless of BMI [21].…”

Can the Core Stability Training Influences Sprint and Jump Performances in Young Basketball Players?

“…Therefore, an open problem remains that of understanding the effects on motor performance only attributable to core stability exercises; in particular, especially in light of the sedentary lifestyles described in the developmental age (Colella et al, 2019;Weedon et al, 2018;Kuligowski et al, 2015;Wu et al, 2017), it must be clarified whether such types of exercises, which specifically encourage a very sensitive target district in this period (Kuligowski et al, 2015;Wu et al, 2017) could be advantageous for prepubescent subjects practicing sport.…”