Abstract
Most of the current empirical evidence regarding the relationship between health-related fitness and level of motor performance is based on children from high-income countries. Yet, children from low-resource areas may have fewer opportunities to develop their fitness skills. The aim of the study was to determine if South African children from both low- and middle-income areas scoring below the 16th percentile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (probable-Developmental Coordination Disorder (p-DCD)) have lower health-related fitness levels than typically developing (TD) children. We hypothesized that children with p-DCD would have lower overall health-related fitness than TD children. A sample of 146 participants aged 10 to 11 (10.05 years (SD = 0.41)) was collected from schools in the North West Province of South Africa, on the basis of their poverty classification. Children were tested for anaerobic capacity and strength using the Bruininks–Oseretsky test of motor proficiency second edition (BOT-2) and aerobic capacity using the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER). Body composition was evaluated using body mass index corrected for age and sex (BMI-z), body fat (BF), and waist circumference. The data was analyzed using Spearman correlations and chi-squared tests. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between groups for running and agility, strength, and aerobic capacity. No significant differences were found between p-DCD and TD groups in terms of body mass (36.1 kg vs. 33.3 kg), waist circumference (62.2 cm vs. 59.8 cm), BMI-z (19.7 vs. 17.6), and fat percentage (20.2 vs. 18.1%). Overweight and obesity prevalence was 15% in those with low socio-economic status (SES) and 27% in high SES. In conclusion, children with p-DCD had lower muscular strength, aerobic capacity, and endurance than TD children. Although it has been reported that children with p-DCD have a higher risk for overweight/obesity than TD children, this is not (yet) the case in 10–11-year-old children living in rural areas in South Africa (North West Province).
Highlights
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a disorder that is characterized by difficulties in motor coordination and problems with the execution of activities such as running, writing, getting dressed, hopping, and catching objects [1]
The results indicated that from the 146 participants, 37 scored at or below the 16th percentile of the MABC-2 and were classified p-DCD
Children with low motor proficiency had poorer results in the following fitness components: aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and endurance, when compared to typically developing (TD) children. This indicates that children with low motor proficiency in low-to-middleincome areas had lowered health-related fitness than TD children, indicative of the coordination aspect to be the underlying cause
Summary
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a disorder that is characterized by difficulties in motor coordination and problems with the execution of activities such as running, writing, getting dressed, hopping, and catching objects [1]. Children with low motor proficiency, such as those with DCD, are less likely to participate in physical activities at home, school, and the community, being often excluded from activities by their peers and tending to display a lower fitness level than typically developing (TD) children [7,8,9,10]. Smits-Engelsman and Bonney [21] reported that children with probable-DCD (p-DCD) in low-resource areas of South Africa displayed significantly poorer aerobic fitness than children without DCD. This is especially concerning given the lack of formal physical education in many school systems in these areas, resulting in less opportunities for children to engage in physical activity, which could enhance their motor proficiency and health-related fitness
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
