MOTOR SKILLS OF YOUNG ANGLO- AND MEXICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN

Abstract

Little is known about the movement proficiency of young children and how it may affect physical activity (PA) participation later in life. An improved understanding of motor skill development in ethnically diverse young children may help design programs tailored to meet the needs of subgroups of children. We assessed the relationship of motor skill proficiency of a bi-ethnic cohort of 207 young children and their habitual PA in early adolescence. The skinfolds (triceps, subscapular) and three motor skills (balancing, catching, hopping) of 89 Anglo-American (51 boys, 38 girls) and 118 Mexican-American (53 boys, 65 girls) children were measured in the child's home at ages 4, 5, and 6. Two-week, test-retest reliabilities were r = 0.77, 0.78, and 0.62 for hopping, catching, and balancing, respectively. At age 12, skinfold and hopping tests were administered again, along with the 7-day Physical Activity Recall (PAR). PAR was administered by interviewers on two occasions, approximately 6 months apart. Significant ethnic differences were not found on motor skills. The only ethnic differences found were in early adolescence, when Mexican-American children participated in less overall and less vigorous physical activity and had greater skinfolds than Anglo-Americans. There was a significant negative association between skinfold thicknesses and young boys' and girls' ability to balance and young boys' as well 12-year-old girls' ability to hop. Results of stepwise multiple linear regression analyses to identify variables associated with overall (KKD) and vigorous PA (hours/week) at age 12 showed ethnicity and hopping at age 12 to be the only significant predictors of PA. The only movement skill related to PA was girls' hopping ability at age 12. It was a significant predictor of girls' overall PA, but not their vigorous PA. Ethnicity alone explained 4.5% of the variability in vigorous PA in girls (p < .03) and 12.8% of the variability in boys (p < .002). For overall PA, ethnicity alone explained 10.8% of the variability for boys (p < .003); and, with hopping score at age 12, explained 10.4% of the variability in girls (p < .004). Motor skill performance, represented by balancing, catching, and hopping, and skinfolds of children at ages 4–6 did not predict PA at age 12. Further studies involving additional motor skills and other populations are recommended to determine if enhanced movement skills in children promote habitual physical activity across the lifespan. Supported by NIH HL52449.