The effect of the SPARK Motor Program in Developing Fundamental Movement Skills in Male Children Aged 6-8 Years With Different ACE Genotypes

Abstract

Background and Aims Studies have shown that individual constraints such as IQ positively affect the efficacy of motor development interventions, but the role of genes in this field has not been studied so far. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the effect of ACE genotypes on the effectiveness of the Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) program in developing fundamental movement skills. Methods The study population consists all boys aged 6-8 years (Mean age: 7.4±1.45 years) in Tehran (district 4), Iran, of whom 50 were selected as samples by a simple random sampling method. The instrument was Ulrich’s gross motor development test III. The DNA extraction was also done from the saliva of participants. After determining genotypes II (n=11), ID (n=25), DD (n=14), pre-test assessment was conducted. Then, the groups received the SPARK motor intervention for 8 weeks at 24 sessions. Finally, post-test assessment was performed, and the collected data were analyzed in SPSS software using analysis of covariance. Results The effect of different ACE genotypes on the effectiveness of the SPARK program on children’s locomotor skills was significant (P=0.005), but it was not significant regarding ball skills (P=0.14). Children with genotype DD showed more improvement in locomotor skills than those with genotype II. Conclusion Our results support Newell’s theory that individual constraints play a role in learning and development. In this study, the ACE gene, as an individual constraint, has an effective role in the effectiveness of the SPARK program in improving locomotor skills in children.