Differences in Weight Status and Autonomous Motivation towards Sports among Children with Various Profiles of Motor Competence and Organized Sports Participation.

Eline Coppens,Frederik J A Deconinck,An De Meester,Eva D’Hondt,Farid Bardid,Leen Haerens,Kristine De Martelaer,Matthieu Lenoir

doi:10.3390/children8020156

Abstract

This study aimed (1) to identify profiles in children based on actual motor competence (AMC), perceived motor competence (PMC), and organized sports participation (OSP), and (2) to examine differences among these profiles in weight status as well as autonomous motivation towards sports. Children’s (N = 206; 112 boys; Mage = 10.83 ± 0.92 years) AMC, PMC, OSP, weight status, and autonomous motivation towards sports were measured using validated assessment tools. Cluster analyses identified three profiles with completely convergent levels of AMC, PMC, and OSP and three profiles with partially convergent levels. Children in the convergent profiles with average to high levels of AMC, PMC, and OSP had the most optimal profile, as they combined a healthier weight status with elevated levels of autonomous motivation, while the opposite was true for children with low levels on all three cluster-variables. Partially convergent profiles showed that AMC and PMC appear crucial for weight status, as profiles with relatively low levels of AMC and PMC had the highest weight status, independent of their OSP levels. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of promoting AMC, PMC, and OSP simultaneously to help children in achieving a healthy weight status and being autonomously motivated towards OSP.

Highlights

Actual motor competence (AMC), which can be defined as the degree of proficient performance in various motor skills as well as its underlying mechanisms such as motor control and coordination [1], is associated with a range of health-related outcomes including a healthy weight status [2,3,4]
The present study used a person-centered approach to identify various profiles based on children’s AMC, perceived motor competence (PMC), and organized sports participation (OSP). It was examined how children in the various AMC–PMC–OSP-based profiles may differ from each other in terms of weight status and autonomous motivation towards sports. We addressed these aims in a study sample with AMC levels that were slightly above average (i.e., motor quotient (MQ) of 107 versus the reference value of 100) and PMC levels that were comparable to the PMC levels in an older sample [40]
When it comes to OSP, our study sample showed higher levels when compared to the reported OSP levels in a previous study in the same age category [54]

Summary

Introduction

Actual motor competence (AMC), which can be defined as the degree of proficient performance in various motor skills as well as its underlying mechanisms such as motor control and coordination [1], is associated with a range of health-related outcomes including a healthy weight status [2,3,4]. According to the conceptual model of Stodden and colleagues [6], a mediator in this reciprocal AMC–PA relationship is perceived motor competence (PMC), which refers to the self-perception of one’s AMC [9]. Both AMC and PMC are considered to be consistent predictors of PA levels more generally [5,10], and (organized) sports participation [11,12]. This leaves the question whether the discrepancy in these measures may constitute one of the reasons for finding the divergent profiles

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Discussion

Conclusion