Physical self‐perception and motor performance in normal‐weight, overweight and obese children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among physical self-perception, body image and motor performance in Italian middle school students. Two hundred and sixty children were categorized into normal-weight (n=103), overweight (n=86) or obese (n=71) groups. Perceived coordination, body fat and sports competence were assessed using the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire, while body image was measured using Collins' Child Figure Drawings. Individuals' perceptions of strength, speed and agility were assessed using the Perceived Physical Ability Scale. Tests involving the standing long jump, 2 kg medicine-ball throw, 10 × 5 m shuttle-run and 20 and 30 m sprints were also administered. Girls, when compared with boys, and overweight and obese participants, when compared with normal-weight peers, reported lower perceived and actual physical competence, higher perceived body fat and greater body dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction mediated all the associations between body mass index (BMI) and the different aspects of physical self-perception in boys, but not in girls. The same pattern of results was found for physical self-perception as a mediator of the relationship between BMI and body dissatisfaction. In conclusion, obesity proved to have adverse effects on both motor performance and physical self-perception.

Fitness Testing for Children: Let’s Mount the Zebra!

“…33 In this context, the multidimensional nature of fitness cannot be emphasized enough and an opportunity to give overweight children fitness-related positive feedback is potentially missed if only CRF and weight-bearing tests of muscular fitness are administered. Overweight children tend to outperform normal weight children in nonweight bearing tests of strength and power, such as hand grip strength 49 (Figure 1, Panel B), medicine ball throw 50 or in weight bearing strength and power tests when performance is expressed with relative values (Figure 1, Panel C).…”

“…Indeed, muscular strength is one of the only subcomponents of physical self-concept scales on which overweight children rate themselves highly. 50 Highlighting these pupils' capabilities in this specific aspect of fitness through testing could be a way to positively reinforce a specific "athletic identity." This construct predicts sports participation and PA levels independently of gender, body mass, ethnicity, 51 and perceived task competence.…”

Effects of obesity on perception of ability and perception of body image in Portuguese children and adolescents

“…These can be considering worrying results as physical self-perception has already been identified as an important correlate of physical activity, motor competence and performance in childhood (Raudsepp et al, 2002;Southall et al, 2004). Furthermore, previous studies have showed that in addition to lower perceptions of their physical ability, overweight children and adolescents had significantly lower actual physical competences than their normal weight peers (Morano et al, 2011;Southall et al, 2004), and children with low actual and perceived physical ability could be lead into a negative spiral of disengagement in physical activity, resulting in lower physical activity levels (Stodden et al, 2008). In fact, the less an individual engages in physical activity, the more his physical competence decreases causing the reduction of its self-perceptions.…”

Relación del autoconcepto con la condición física y la composición corporal en una muestra de adolescentes

“…En ellos se ha observado la asociación significativa con el concepto físico general, así como otras dimensiones específicas como condición física, fuerza o habilidad física, también sobre población adolescente (Crocker et al, 2006;Greenleaf et al, 2010;Lubans y Cliff, 2011;Morano, Colella, Robazza, Bortoli y Capranica, 2011). Además, estos autores ponen de relieve que los factores relacionados con la condición física son medidas más fiables para valorar aspectos del autoconcepto que la mera práctica de actividad física, lo que debe ser tenido en cuenta a la hora de diseñar programas de intervención que busquen mejorar el nivel de estas percepciones en poblaciones de estas edades.…”