At-risk Preschoolers’ Perceived Physical Competence and Observed Fundamental Movement Skills

Abstract

PURPOSE: Children’s perceived physical competence (PPC) may be related to their fundamental movement skills (FMS). Baseline data from the Colorado LEAP study were explored to examine the relationship between at-risk preschoolers’ PPC and observed FMS. METHODS: The LEAP study was conducted in 4 preschools serving preschoolers (n=250) at high risk for obesity. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence for Young Children assessed preschoolers’ PPC. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) subtests for balance, running speed and agility (locomotor), upper-limb coordination (ball skills) and strength assessed children’s actual FMS. Spearman’s rho correlations were used to assess the relationships between PPC and each BOT-2 subtest. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted for each of the four BOT-2 subtests to investigate the amount of variance in FMS explained by PPC (overall model controlled for age, sex, ethnicity, and BMI z-score). RESULTS: Spearman’s rho correlations showed significant correlations between PPC and FMS when data were examined separately by sex and/or ethnicity. There were significant positive correlations between PPC and ball skills for males (r=0.20, p≤0.05) and non-Hispanic preschoolers (r=0.18, p≤0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between PPC and balance in Hispanic females (r=-0.31, p≤0.05). Regression analyses showed PPC was significantly related to locomotor scores (β=.14, t=2.19, p≤.05) with the overall model accounting for 16% of the variance in locomotor scores, F(5,219)=8.43, p≤0.05. Further, PPC was significantly related to strength scores (β=.12, t=1.97, p≤0.05) with the overall model accounting for 20% of the variance in strength scores, F(5,216)=10.48, p≤0.05. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between PPC and FMS in preschoolers varies by sex and ethnicity in LEAP study participants. Moreover, PPC is significantly related to locomotor and strength skills. Promoting FMS development in preschoolers could potentially influence their movement competence or confidence, thus enhancing their physical literacy and ultimately physical activity engagement.