Motor performance in kaingang indigenous children

Abstract

Introduction: Studies on indigenous children show low height for age, however there is a lack of literature on motor performance in these populations. Motor performance tests are important indicators in identifying factors of physical fi tness related to health. Objective: To compare the motor performance in Kaingang indigenous children. Methods: The study was descriptive and cross-sectional with 78 Kaingang schoolchildren aged between 8 and 9 years from the indigenous area of Rio das Cobras, in Parana, Brazil. The children were classifi ed into two groups, Group A below (GA) and Group B (GB) above the -2 z-scores for the reference stature for age from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics. The data were collected using anthropometric measurements of their stature and motor performance tests for sitting and reaching (fl exibility), jumping distance (muscle power), sitting and lying down (strength and muscular resistance) and coming and going (agility). Analysis of covariance (p < 0.05) was used to compare the stature between the groups as well as their motor performance, controlled by age, and separated per sex. Results: Among the 78 schoolchildren evaluated, 45.5% of boys and 55.5% of girls were below the -2 zscores for stature at their age, classifi ed in GA, and 54.5% of boys and 44.5% of girls were above the -2 z-scores for stature at their age, classifi ed in GB. There was a signifi cant difference in stature between the groups, in both sexes. There was a signifi cant difference in the motor performance tests between children classifi ed as having a short stature and those not characterized as such, in both sexes. Conclusion: Short stature did not infl uence motor performance in the children studied.