Is there a secular decline in motor skills in preschool children?

Roth, Kristina; Ruf, Katharina; Obinger, Matthias; Mauer, Sonja; Ahnert, Jutta; Schneider, Wolfgang; Gräf, Christine; Hebestreit, Helge

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00982.x

Cited by 77 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Despite the well known and important health benefits of physical activity (PA) for youth, many of today's children do not meet established PA guidelines and spend a considerable amount of their time on sedentary pursuits (3)(4)(5). In addition, there are also indications for a secular decline in children's motor skill performance and coordination as early as preschool age (6,7). To date, however, it is still unclear to what extent these global changes are interconnected and/or mutually reinforcing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A longitudinal study of gross motor coordination and weight status in children

D’Hondt

Deforche

Gentier

et al. 2014

Obesity

122

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Objective: This longitudinal study investigated the interrelationship between children's weight status and level of gross motor coordination over time, taking baseline physical activity (PA) into account as a possible mediator. Methods: Baseline measurements were collected in 2517 children (5-13 years, 52.8% boys), including (1) body height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI) z-scores, (2) gross motor coordination using the K€ orperkoordinationstest f€ ur Kinder (KTK), (3) total PA estimated by a questionnaire. At follow-up, 754 participants (7-13 years, 50.8% boys) underwent anthropometric and KTK assessments again. Two hypothesized partial mediation models (i.e., KTK $ PA $ BMI z-score) were examined by multiple linear mixed models. Results: A lower performance on the KTK at baseline significantly predicted an increase in BMI z-score (B 5 20.003, P 5 0.027). Conversely, a higher baseline BMI z-score also predicted a decrease in KTK performance (B 5 21.792, P < 0.001). Since total PA at baseline was not significantly related to initial KTK performance (B 5 1.628, P 5 0.134) nor BMI z-score (B 5 25.312, P 5 0.130), its mediating effect was not further explored. Conclusions: Our results strongly suggest that children's weight status negatively influences future level of gross motor coordination, and vice versa. Prevention and intervention initiatives should consider this reciprocal causal relationship across developmental time.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A longitudinal study of gross motor coordination and weight status in children

D’Hondt

Deforche

Gentier

et al. 2014

Obesity

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, based on repeated assessments in Polish children, it has been suggested that the decline in motor skill competence may be shifting to early childhood (Raczek, 2002), although it should be noted that other studies could not confirm this trend (Eggert, Brandt, Jedtritzki, & Küppers, 2000;Prätorius & Milani, 2004;Rethorst, 2003;Roth et al, 2010). Still, there is general agreement that, given the importance of early childhood (pre-schoolers aged 3 to 7) for motor development, motor skill programmes during this period will reduce the risk of problems in childhood and later on, especially in those children with a developmental delay (see Kirk & Rhodes, 2011;Logan, Robinson, Wilson, & Lucas, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention in pre-schoolers with motor problems depends on gender but not environmental context

Bardid¹,

Deconinck

Descamps

et al. 2013

Research in Developmental Disabilities

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This version is available at https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/58118/ Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the research output of the University of Strathclyde. Unless otherwise explicitly stated on the manuscript, Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Please check the manuscript for details of any other licences that may have been applied. You may not engage in further distribution of the material for any profitmaking activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or private study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the Strathprints administrator: strathprints@strath.ac.ukThe Strathprints institutional repository (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk) is a digital archive of University of Strathclyde research outputs. It has been developed to disseminate open access research outputs, expose data about those outputs, and enable the management and persistent access to Strathclyde's intellectual output. AbstractThis study evaluated the effect of a 10-week fundamental motor skill programme in preschoolers with motor problems. Alongside the general effect of the intervention, we also explored possible gender differences and the role of the environmental context (living community, socio-economic status, and recreational space inside/outside the house). The intervention group (n = 47; 20 and 27 ) received twenty 60-min motor skill sessions (2 per week) in addition to the regular physical education curriculum for pre-schoolers; the control group (n = 46; 21 and 25 ) did not receive additional practice. General motor competence, and locomotor and object control subscales, were assessed before and after the intervention using the Test of Gross Motor Development 2 nd edition (TGMD-2). Data regarding environmental factors were gathered through a questionnaire. A Group x Gender x Time ANOVA revealed that the intervention group benefited significantly from the intervention and scored better than the control group at the post-test for general motor competence and both sub-categories (locomotor and object control skill). Moreover, the intervention programme was found to be effective in helping 49% of the intervention group to achieve an average motor skill level, according to the TGMD-2 norms, while a further decline in motor competence was observed in the control group. Interestingly, the effect appeared to be gender-specific, since object control skill improved only in girls of the intervention group.Considering the environmental context, none of the above-mentioned factors was found to have an influence on the effectiveness of the intervention. The present study highlights the need for an early motor skill programme with a gender-specific approach in order to help low skilled boys and girls master a diverse set of motor s...

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“…As has been shown for PA, available data on motor competence in youth indicate a decline [50,51] resulting in low motor competence in children and adolescents [52,53]. The limited success of current PA and weight loss interventions has, at least in part, been attributed to the lack of attention towards the development of motor competence, particularly in children with excess body weight [54].…”

Section: Motor Competence: Terminology and Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Focus on Motor Competence as Alternative Strategy for Weight Management

Drenowatz¹

2017

J Obes Chronic Dis

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Is there a secular decline in motor skills in preschool children?

Cited by 77 publications

References 14 publications

A longitudinal study of gross motor coordination and weight status in children

A longitudinal study of gross motor coordination and weight status in children

The effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention in pre-schoolers with motor problems depends on gender but not environmental context

A Focus on Motor Competence as Alternative Strategy for Weight Management

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