Cross-Sectional Associations Between Wake-Time Movement Compositions and Mental Health in Preschool Children With and Without Motor Coordination Problems

Abstract

Movement behaviors have been found to be important correlates of health for children and may be particularly important for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) who often experience greater mental health problems. To date, however, little research has investigated the daily movement composition of preschool children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and/or its association with mental health. The purpose of the current study was to: (1) examine whether differences in movement compositions (i.e., sedentary time, light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) exist between typically developing (TD) preschool-age children and those at risk for DCD (rDCD); and (2) investigate associations between movement compositions and mental health indicators. This cross-sectional study used the baseline cohort data from the Coordination and Activity Tracking in CHildren (CATCH) study. A total of 589 preschool-age children (Mage = 4.94 ± 0.59 years; 57.4% boys) were included in this analysis, of which 288 scored at or below the 16th percentile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 and were thus classified as rDCD. Wake time movement behaviors were measured using accelerometers and parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist to assess their child's mental health (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). Compositional data analysis techniques were used. After adjusting for potential confounders, the results demonstrated similar movement compositions between TD and rDCD children. Among the full sample, findings revealed a significant association between sedentary time and externalizing problems, however, each of the other associations did not reach statistical significance. These results are consistent with emerging evidence demonstrating similar patterns of physical activity and sedentary time among TD children and those classified as rDCD during the preschool years. Although movement behaviors explained little variance in mental health during this period, future research should investigate when movement compositions diverge, and how these changes may impact the mental health of TD children and those classified as rDCD later in childhood.

Understanding factors that influence physical activity behavior in people with developmental coordination disorder (DCD): a mixed-methods convergent integrated systematic review

“…However, preschool children with pDCD tended to accumulate their MVPA in shorter episodes of physical activity ( King-Dowling et al, 2019 ). This pattern is consistent with evidence from Brown et al (2021) , who also used the CATCH sample to measure the BMI of children aged 4–5 years at risk of DCD ( N = 288) and TD age-matched children ( N = 301). They also measured physical activity and sedentary behavior using an accelerometer whilst parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist ( Achenbach, 1991 ).…”

“…Taken together, the evidence aligning with the behavior component of the COM-B, which was of moderate to high quality (62–100%), suggests that levels of physical activity appear unaffected in pre-school children with DCD ( Cairney et al, 2019 ; King-Dowling et al, 2019 ; Brown et al, 2021 ) unless there is co-occurring ADHD ( James et al, 2021 ). Older children with DCD (>6 years) have lower step counts ( Tan et al, 2022 ), lower levels of LPA and MVPA ( Poulsen et al, 2008 ; Beutum et al, 2013 ; Cermak et al, 2015 ), higher BMI, decreased strength ( Beutum et al, 2013 ), poorer fitness ( Cermak et al, 2015 ) and participate in less structured and free play activities which do not change with age ( Cairney et al, 2006 ), although divergence in free play activities was found for females with pDCD over time ( Cairney et al, 2010 ).…”

“…Fifteen articles best aligned with the behavior component of the COM-B model ( Cairney et al, 2006 , 2010 , 2019 ; Poulsen et al, 2008 , 2011a ; Baerg et al, 2011 ; Green et al, 2011 ; Beutum et al, 2013 ; Batey et al, 2014 ; Cermak et al, 2015 ; Howie et al, 2016 , 2017 ; King-Dowling et al, 2019 ; Brown et al, 2021 ; James et al, 2021 ; Tan et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Studies included six randomized controlled trials ( Howie et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Yu et al, 2016a ; Bonney et al, 2017a ; Noordstar et al, 2017 ; Sit et al, 2019 ), four quasi-experimental studies ( Meek and Sugden, 1997 ; Poulsen et al, 2007 ; Cairney et al, 2010 ; Green et al, 2011 ), 25 cross-sectional studies ( Cairney et al, 2005a , b , 2007 , 2019 ; Poulsen et al, 2008 , 2011a ; Baerg et al, 2011 ; Fong et al, 2011 , 2018 ; Silman et al, 2011 ; Engel-Yeger et al, 2012 , 2015 ; Beutum et al, 2013 ; Kwan et al, 2013 ; Batey et al, 2014 ; Noordstar et al, 2014 ; Cermak et al, 2015 ; Yu et al, 2016b , 2021 ; King-Dowling et al, 2018 , 2019 ; Wright et al, 2019 ; Brown et al, 2021 ; James et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2021 ), four longitudinal studies ( Cairney et al, 2006 , 2017 ; Joshi et al, 2015 ; Tan et al, 2022 ), two qualitative studies ( Barnett et al, 2013 ; Zimmer et al, 2020 ), one case series study ( Kane and Bell, 2009 ) and one mixed-method study ( Adams et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Nineteen studies were conducted in Canada ( Cairney et al, 2005a , b , 2006 , 2007 , 2010 , 2017 , 2019 ; Kane and Bell, 2009 ; Baerg et al, 2011 ; Silman et al, 2011 ; Kwan et al, 2013 ; Batey et al, 2014 ; Joshi et al, 2015 ; King-Dowling et al, 2018 , 2019 ; Zimmer et al, 2020 ; Brown et al, 2021 ; James et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2021 ), seven in Australia ( Poulsen et al, 2007 , 2008 , 2011a ; Beutum et al, 2013 ; Howie et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Wright et al, 2019 ), six in Hong Kong ( Fong et al, 2011 , 2018 ; Yu et al, 2016a , b , 2021 ; Sit et al, 2019 ), three in the United Kingdom ( Meek and Sugden, 1997 ; Green et al, 2011 ; Barnett et al, 2013 ), three in the Netherlands ( Noordstar et al, 2014 , 2017 ; Adams et al, 2018 ) two in Israel ( Engel-Yeger et al, 2012 , 2015 ), one in Israel and the US ( Cermak et al, 2015 ), one in Finland ( Tan et al, 2022 ) and one in South Africa ( Bonney et al, 2017a ).…”