Differences in Weight Status and Autonomous Motivation towards Sports among Children with Various Profiles of Motor Competence and Organized Sports Participation

Abstract

This study aimed (1) to identify profiles in children based on actual motor competence (AMC), perceived motor competence (PMC), and organized sports participation (OSP), and (2) to examine differences among these profiles in weight status as well as autonomous motivation towards sports. Children’s (N = 206; 112 boys; Mage = 10.83 ± 0.92 years) AMC, PMC, OSP, weight status, and autonomous motivation towards sports were measured using validated assessment tools. Cluster analyses identified three profiles with completely convergent levels of AMC, PMC, and OSP and three profiles with partially convergent levels. Children in the convergent profiles with average to high levels of AMC, PMC, and OSP had the most optimal profile, as they combined a healthier weight status with elevated levels of autonomous motivation, while the opposite was true for children with low levels on all three cluster-variables. Partially convergent profiles showed that AMC and PMC appear crucial for weight status, as profiles with relatively low levels of AMC and PMC had the highest weight status, independent of their OSP levels. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of promoting AMC, PMC, and OSP simultaneously to help children in achieving a healthy weight status and being autonomously motivated towards OSP.

“Profiles of motor competence and its perception accuracy among children: Association with physical fitness and body fat”

“…To address Ulrich's concerns, Rudisill and colleagues (Rudisill, Mahar, & Meaney, 1993) developed, a few years later, a scale to measure the accuracy with which children perceive their MC. Other scales have been developed more recently to integrate PMC with matching motor tasks (Barnett, Vazou, et al, 2016;Tietjens et al, 2018), coined as aligned product-oriented measure of PMC (Coppens et al, 2021). The need for aligned instruments of MC and PMC has been further highlighted by Estevan and Barnett (2018).…”

“…These have shown that, in general, children tend to overestimate their skills and that children with greater MC tend to be more accurate in the perception of their affordances (Almeida, Luz, Martins, & Cordovil, 2017). Recently, the relationship between PMC and actual MC in children has been explored using a person-centered approach, that is, using cluster analysis, with PMC measure aligned with actual MC (Coppens et al, 2021;Estevan, García-Massó, Molina García, & Barnett, 2019Niemistö et al, 2022). Weiss and Amorose (2005) originally developed this methodology to analyze whether children estimated their MC accurately/inaccurately.…”

“…Weiss and Amorose (2005) originally developed this methodology to analyze whether children estimated their MC accurately/inaccurately. The studies also analyzed whether children or adolescents with different profiles of actual and perceived MC (e.g., low MC-high PMC) differ in PA and body mass index Estevan et al, 2019), autonomous motivation (Bardid et al, 2016;De Meester, Maes, et al, 2016), sport participation (Coppens et al, 2021), and PF (Estevan et al, 2019). Studies in this area have used mixed variables and methodological approaches that may influence their findings, such as: (i) using different instruments to measure PMC, (ii) defining the construct of PMC in different ways, (iii) using different samples, with different levels of MC and PMC, which influence "the relative nature of whether actual or perceived motor competence is considered high or low" (Estevan & Barnett, 2018, p. 2692); (iv) using product vs. process measures to assess MC (i.e., focus on the outcome or on the process of the movement, respectively) (De Meester et al, 2020).…”

Organized Sports Activities Are Safe for Children With Sickle Cell Disease: A Pilot Intervention Study

“…3 Psychological factors play an important role in beginning and continuing organized sports participation. 10 Physical literacy provides a theoretical framework to understand the association between organized sports activities and people's physical and psychological well-being. More specifically, physical literacy is described as the physical competence, motivation, confidence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities (ie, organized sports activities) for life.…”

“…Before children with SCD start participating in organized sports activities, assessment of their physical competence is advised to avoid any risk of vaso-occlusive episodes 3 . Psychological factors play an important role in beginning and continuing organized sports participation 10 . Physical literacy provides a theoretical framework to understand the association between organized sports activities and people’s physical and psychological well-being.…”