Associations between motor competence and the risk of obesity in Brazilian adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: To assess whether motor competence is associated with the risk of obesity in adolescents. Methods: The sample consisted of 296 adolescents (56.1% girls) aged 12 to 15 years recruited from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Motor competence was assessed using the Körperkoordinationtest fur kinder (KTK). Body mass index (BMI) measures were used to classify the participants’ weight status. Physical activity was determined through a validated self-administered questionnaire. Multinomial and binary logistic regression models, adjusted for potential confounders (i.e. age, sex and physical activity), were executed to examine the association between motor competence and risk of obesity. Results: Almost half of participants (48%) presented low motor competence. Among adolescents with obesity, 92.9% showed low motor competence. In addition, low motor competence was associated with a higher risk to be overweight (OR: 2.940, p=.006) and obese (OR: 18.366, p<.001), even after adjusting for potential confounders. Conversely, adolescents with adequate motor competence were less likely to be overweight (OR: .340, p = .006) and obese (OR: .054, p<.001). Conclusion: Having low motor competence can be a risk factor for obesity, while adequate motor competence was a protective factor against this disease. Pediatric obesity is multifactorial, including environmental aspects, yet this study showed that motor competence seems to be important to maintaining a healthy weight status in youth. Keywords: motor development; weight status; overweight; physical activity; children.