Comparison of Gross Motor Development of 3-7 Years Old Children in Different Geographical Regions

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine whether gross motor development of 3-7 years old children differed according to their geographical regions. 131 children from the Mediterranean Region, 149 children from the Southeastern Anatolia Region, 214 children from the Marmara Region, 107 children from the Aegean Region, 114 children from the Black Sea Region, 161 children from the Central Anatolia Region, 115 from the Eastern Anatolia Region children were included in the study. Of the children participating in the study, 475 were girls and 516 were boys. In order to collect data, Test of Gross Motor Development-Second Edition (TGMD-2) was used. Kruskal Wallis H test was used to compare locomotor, object control and gross motor total test scores of the three, four, five, six and seven age groups children according to the geographic regions. The results of the analysis showed that locomotor subtest scores of children aged 5 and 7 years were differentiated according to their geographical regions. Mann Whitney U test was used to determine the difference between the two groups. As a result of the paired comparisons, locomotor subtest scores of children in five age group living in Black Sea Region were found to be significantly lower than locomotor subtest scores of children living in Southeast Anatolia, Marmara and Central Anatolia Regions. The locomotor subtest scores of the children seven age in the Black Sea Region were significantly higher than the locomotor subtest scores of children living in Southeast Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia Regions. In addition, it was determined that gross motor total test scores of the children of seven age groups differed according to the geographical region. As a result, gross motor total test scores of children in seven age group living in the Black Sea Region were found to be significantly higher than the gross motor total test scores of children living in Eastern Anatolia.