Bioecological factors associated with gross motor skills of preschool children

Abstract

ABSTRACT Motor skills during early childhood play a significant role in child development. We used the bioecological model to determine the bioecological factors associated with preschool children's gross motor skills (GMS). The GMS of randomly sampled 280 children were tested using a standardized checklist. The background variables theoretically framed in process, person and context characteristics were applied for multilevel logistic regression models. The children whose parents engaged daily in child-stimulating activities and who had family income above the mean were 2.3 times more likely to have normal GMS. Moreover, the children from the schools equipped with toys were 2.7 times more likely to be normal. Interestingly, the children who had teachers with higher degrees and more extended experience were less likely to be normal in GMS, demanding further exploration. Therefore, national child development policies and programmes should ensure parental support and the provision of motivated teachers.