Stability and prediction of motor performance and cognitive functioning in preschoolers: A latent variable approach

Abstract

At preschool age, motor skills and cognitive functions are regularly examined at well-child visits. Although reliable screening depends on the stability of the assessed developmental domains, little is known about the stability of motor and cognitive performance in preschool children. The aim of the present study was to investigate how stable motor skills and cognitive functioning are in the preschool years and whether they can predict their own and respective outcome 1 year later. 509 children were examined (46.4% female;

The Influence of Motor Competence on Broader Aspects of Health: A Systematic Review of the Longitudinal Associations Between Motor Competence and Cognitive and Social-Emotional Outcomes

“… ✓ ✓ ✓ ? ✓ Tocci et al [ 115 ] Experimental ✓ ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ ✓ Tseng et al [ 116 ] Experimental x ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ x Vazou et al [ 117 ] Experimental x ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ x Zhang et al [ 118 ] Experimental ✓ ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ x Zysset et al [ 119 ] Observational ✓ ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ ✓ Totals by risk-of-bias criteria (49) 23 34 45 14 44 45 33 ✓ met criteria, x did not meet criteria, ? unclear whether met criteria a Criteria met for pre-post, but not met for 8 weeks post-intervention …”

“…Two authors (PH and MM) extracted descriptive data (Tables 3 and 4 ) for the 49 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Of the included studies, 15 used an observational study design [ 71 , 80 , 81 , 84 , 89 , 90 , 97 , 98 , 102 , 105 , 107 , 108 , 112 , 113 , 119 ] (Table 3 ), with 34 studies [ 72 – 79 , 82 , 83 , 91 – 96 , 99 – 101 , 103 , 104 , 106 , 109 – 111 , 114 – 118 ] using an experimental design (Table 4 ).

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“…The majority of included studies were conducted in the USA [ 89 , 94 , 98 , 101 , 107 , 109 , 111 , 113 , 117 ] and Italy [ 73 , 75 , 77 , 79 , 82 , 99 , 106 , 115 ], with four studies conducted in Australia [ 83 , 104 , 108 , 111 ], and three completed in Switzerland [ 100 , 102 , 119 ] and Brazil [ 76 , 81 , 103 ]. A further two studies were conducted in each of the following countries: South Africa [ 79 , 84 ], Finland [ 90 , 113 ], Hong Kong [ 80 , 95 ], Iran [ 88 , 91 ], Norway [ 71 , 72 ], and Germany [ 93 , 97 ].…”

“…Preschool-aged children (3–5 years) were recruited to participate in 21 studies [ 73 – 75 , 77 , 79 , 80 , 83 , 85 , 86 , 89 , 92 , 98 , 100 , 101 , 105 , 107 , 109 , 112 , 114 , 118 , 119 ], pre-adolescent children (6–9 years) in 20 studies [ 76 , 78 , 84 , 87 , 88 , 91 , 93 – 96 , 99 , 102 – 104 , 106 , 108 , 110 , 111 , 115 , 117 ], and only eight studies recruited adolescent participants (10–18 years) at baseline [ 71 , 72 , 81 , 82 , 90 , 97 , 113 , 116 ]. Although the studies included within this review were characterized by a wide range of sample sizes (10–33,717 children), 51% of included studies had sample sizes ≥ 100 participants.…”

“…For studies that met the inclusion criteria, motor competence was assessed using process-oriented, product-oriented, and circuit-based instruments. A process-oriented assessment was used in 21 studies [ 73 – 78 , 80 , 86 , 87 , 89 , 91 , 94 , 98 – 101 , 103 , 105 , 109 , 114 , 119 ], a product-oriented assessment in 22 studies [ 71 , 72 , 79 , 81 , 83 – 85 , 88 , 90 , 92 , 96 , 97 , 106 – 108 , 110 , 112 , 113 , 115 – 117 ], with the remaining six studies [ 82 , 93 , 95 , 102 , 104 , 111 ] using a circuit-based approach to assessment. Collectively, versions of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) [ 120 ] were the most selected process-oriented assessments, with four studies using the Peabody Developmental Scales, 2nd Edition (PDMS-2) [ 121 ], and further studies using the Motorisk Utveckling som Grund för Inlärning (MUGI) Observation instrument [ 122 ] and the PE and Metrics assessment [ 123 ].…”