Abstract
The decrease in children motor competence, with a consequent reduction in the levels of physical activities and fitness, impacting health negatively, has affected children across countries. In addition to consistent intervention strategies, it is necessary to use appropriate instruments. The Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder (KTK) is a reliable and low-cost motor coordination (MC) test used in several countries but lacking psychometric evidence in the Brazilian population. The present study investigates the factor structure of KTK in a Brazilian sample; and, compared four possibilities of calculating the factorial score of the test, precisely the sum of the scores, sum of the standard scores, weighted method, and the refined method. The participants of the study consisted of 565 volunteers (49.9% boys), from 5 to 10 (7.93 ± 1.51) years of age, with a body mass index (BMI) means of 17.04 (±2.81). The results showed that the KTK factor structure was adequate to the model for the total sample, by sex, and by age groups. However, the results did not confirm the invariance between sexes and age groups. Besides, our result showed that the sum of the raw scores of the subtests could be used as the factor score method in KTK. In the end, we conclude that the KTK is a valid test to measure the MC of Brazilian children and adolescents, with features that qualify it as a useful instrument both for research and for the practice.
Highlights
The engagement of children and young people in physical activity has been decreasing in many countries (Dollman et al, 2005), and a part of this population has adopted a predominantly sedentary lifestyle (Photiou et al, 2008)
There has been a considerable increase in the number of young people who are overweight and have low physical fitness in addition to the rise in the incidence of diseases associated with physical inactivity, such as obesity (Booth et al, 2012) among children and adolescents
The present study aimed to investigate the factor structure of Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder (KTK) for a Brazilian sample; and, compared four possibilities of calculating the factorial score of the test, precisely the sum of the scores, sum of the standard scores, weighted method, and the refined method
Summary
The engagement of children and young people in physical activity has been decreasing in many countries (Dollman et al, 2005), and a part of this population has adopted a predominantly sedentary lifestyle (Photiou et al, 2008). Studies have pointed to positive associations between these two variables, showing that children with high levels of motor competence tend to have a higher engagement in physical activities (Wrotniak et al, 2006; Haga et al, 2008; Lubans et al, 2010). It is essential to stimulate the development of motor competence since childhood (Hoeboer et al, 2016). For this to occur in addition to consistent and coherent work, the use of systematic assessment is important to measure the progress of children over the levels of motor competence (Fransen et al, 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
