Body composition and motor abilities in 8-year-old children: a pilot study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between body composition and motor abilities in 8-yearold children. The sample of participants consisted of 15 children (8 boys and 7 girls) with a mean chronological age of 8.31±0.24 years. The children attended the second grade of the elementary school “Čegar” in the city of Niš and were participating in some form of sports activities. The following measures were taken to assess body composition: body height, body mass, body mass index, percentage of fat and muscle and daily metabolism. On the other hand, the following tests were used to assess motor abilities: sprint at 5, 10, and 20 m (speed), standing long jump (explosive power), push-ups, sit-ups (repetitive strength) and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery (IR) Test Level 1 (endurance). Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between body composition and motor abilities in 8-year-old children. The results of this study indicated a statistically significant correlation between body composition and motor abilities in 8-year-old children. Statistically significant negative correlations were found between the following variables of body composition and motor abilities in 8-year-old children: body mass with sit-ups (p=0.047), body mass index with sit-ups (p=0.007) and the Yo–Yo IR1 (p= 0.014), and between body fat percentage and the 10 m sprint (p=0.05), sit-ups (p=0.012) and the Yo–Yo IR1 (p=0.010). Namely, it could be concluded that increased body mass, body mass index and body fat percentage values were associated with reduced motor performance in 8-year-old children.