Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify child and school-level characteristics that explained inter-individual differences in gross motor coordination (GMC). Participants (n = 390), recruited from 18 Portuguese primary schools, were aged 6 to 10 years of age. Birth weight, body fat (BF), physical activity (PA), physical fitness (PF) and GMC were assessed. School size, setting, infrastructure and physical education classes were considered as school context markers. A multilevel modeling approach was used to identify hierarchical effects (child and school levels). It was found that children-level variables (sex, PF, and BF) significantly explained 63% of the 90% variance fraction at the individual level; boys outperformed girls (p < 0.05), individuals with higher BF were less coordinated (p < 0.05), and those with higher PF were more coordinated (p < 0.05). School-variables (e.g. school size and playing surface) explained 84% of the 10% variation fraction. These findings confirm the roles of sex, PFS and BF. Interestingly they also suggest that the school environment plays a minor but significant role in GMC development. However, it is important to stress that the school context and conditions can also play an important role in a child’s motor development, providing adequate and enriching motor opportunities.
Highlights
It is well known that children’s physical fitness (PF) [1] and sedentary behaviors are linked with pediatric obesity levels [2]
Height and body mass mean values were similar between sexes, as well as total PA (TPA) levels (p > 0.05)
The age effect is jointly confounded by total PF and body fat (BF), i.e., as these variables conjointly change as children grow [13] and may blunt the age effect on total GMC (TGMC) development
Summary
It is well known that children’s physical fitness (PF) [1] and sedentary behaviors are linked with pediatric obesity levels [2]. It seems reasonable to assume that these behaviors will negatively affect gross motor coordination (GMC) development, since motor coordination correlates with PF, physical activity (PA), weight status and/or body fatness (BF) during childhood [3,4,5,6]. Little is known about the extent to which GMC variance may be explained by the additive effects of body fatness, PA and PF levels, and other important biological and environmental factors. Children GMC status results from a complex interaction of biological and maturational factors [9,13], influenced by both genes and the environment [14,15]. It has been previously shown that GMC variability is dependent on gender and chronological age (biological factors), especially during the post-pubertal years [13]
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