A prevalent practice among primary school teachers in certain areas within Malaysia is the selection of young children for sporting pursuits based on preference and the demographical characteristics ...of a child. This is due to the common perception that rural and indigenous children are engaged in more robust lifestyles compared to their urban counterpart and, hence, potentially possess better sports skills. To address the practicality of such practice, this study examined differences in fundamental motor skills between indigenous, rural and urban early school children in a selected district within peninsular Malaysia. A total of 180 early school children were randomly selected to represent the three demographic groups that participated in this study. Participants' fundamental movement skills were assessed using Ulrich Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), which included measurements of locomotor and object manipulation skills. Based on both raw and standard TGMD-2 scores, the data revealed no significant differences among the three groups for locomotor skills development in both male and female participants. However, significant differences were observed for both males and females in terms of object manipulation skills development. Overall findings indicated that the urban groups recorded the lowest mean for both locomotor and object manipulation skills scores, accompanied by motor developmental delays of up to 12 months with respect to the mean chronological age. Regardless, comparison of overall gross motor development among the three groups did not achieve statistical significance. In sum, findings of the current study were consistent with the motor development literature of early school children where fundamental motor skills are reliable indicators for healthy lifestyles. However, it did not lend support to the practice of demographic-based selection for specific sporting pursuits among children of this age group.
Females have been reported to have a three to five times greater incidence of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury when compared with their male counterparts. Previous research suggests that ...physical maturation is one factor that is associated with the development of potentially injurious lower extremity biomechanics in female athletes.
The study's purpose was to determine whether lower extremity biomechanics differ between male and female soccer athletes during a cutting maneuver across different stages of maturational development.
One hundred fifty-six soccer players (76 males and 80 females) between the ages of 9 and 23 yr participated. Subjects were classified on the basis of maturation as prepubertal, pubertal, postpubertal, or young adult. Lower extremity kinematics, kinetics, and ground reaction forces (GRFs) were obtained during a 45° side-step cutting maneuver. Differences between sex and maturation were assessed for peak knee valgus angle, knee adductor moments, and GRFs (vertical, posterior, and lateral) during weight acceptance using a two-factor ANCOVA (controlling for approach velocity).
No sex × maturation interactions were found for any variable of interest. On average, females exhibited greater knee abduction and adductor moments than males. Prepubertal athletes demonstrated greater knee adductor moments and GRFs than all other groups.
Biomechanical differences between males and females were evident across all stages of maturation. On average, less mature athletes exhibit biomechanical patterns during cutting that may place them at greater risk for injury than their more mature counterparts.
Background: Few studies have investigated associations between meeting 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and preschool children’s fundamental movement skills (FMS). This study aimed to investigate the ...associations between Chinese preschoolers meeting various combinations of the Guidelines and FMS, as well as examining gender differences across those outcomes. Methods: A total of 322 preschool children (181 boys and 141 girls) aged 3−6 years old were recruited from five early-childhood education and care services in China. Children’s 7-day physical activity (PA) was assessed using accelerometry, and screen time (ST) and sleep duration were reported by their parents. FMS were assessed by Test of Gross Motor Development 3. Descriptive statistics and gender differences in children’s meeting the Guidelines and FMS were calculated using t-tests for continuous variables and Chi-square tests for categorical variables. Results: Most preschoolers met the sleep and ST guidelines, but only 22.3% met the PA guidelines; 4% of preschoolers did not meet any of the recommendations, while 9.3% met all three recommendations. Boys reported significantly higher compliance with all combined recommendations. There were positive associations between meeting the PA guidelines and both locomotor (β = 0.49; p < 0.001) and object control skills (β = 0.21; p < 0.001). A significantly positive relationship was identified between meeting PA + sleep guidelines and locomotor skills (β = −0.16; p = 0.02). A significantly negative association was observed between preschoolers’ meeting sleep + ST guidelines and locomotor skills (β = 0.31; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Few preschoolers met all three movement behavior guidelines. The findings suggest that PA levels, especially MVPA, are important for the promotion of FMS. Meanwhile, the impacts of ST and sleep on motor development cannot be neglected.
Gross motor skills are the precursors of complex activities used for performing typical daily activities and for playing games and sports. The development of this kind of skills happens between three ...and eight years and an adequate level of these skills is mandatory in order to develop psyco-motor, social and affective domains of learning. In this work, the gross motor development has been studied in 120 children aged 6 to 11 from three different schools in Sicily. Every child performed all the items of the TGMD test and was ranked according to their gross motor development quotient. Later, thanks to the parents' help, every child had to complete the CLASS questionnaire which had investigated on their daily routine in terms of activities done. Regression analysis was performed to establish which determinants impact the most on the skills development. Results showed that males, the children of the lower classes and those who practice a sport are more likely to have a high motor level in comparison with the respective reference categories (i.e, females, highest school classes, and students with low level of motion, respectively). These evidences are useful to understand the role of the school in the development of FMS and to plan adequate strategies in order to overcome the up-to-date limits in the physical education teaching-learning process.
Background: Understanding how or whether sedentary behavior affects motor competence in young children is important considering that children spend a lot of time sedentary. The aim of this study was ...to examine whether sedentary behavior predicts motor competence in young children. Methods: A longitudinal study with a total of 372 children aged 3.5 years at baseline and 5 years at follow-up was conducted. Objectively measured activity patterns (i.e., using accelerometers) were conducted in a subsample with 188 children. Sedentary behavior was assessed both objectively and subjectively (parent-reported screen time). Locomotor and object control skill scores were determined using the Test of Gross Motor Development--Second Edition. A multivariable analysis was executed adjusting for potential confounders (such as age, sex, time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, monitor wear time, body mass index z scores, and maternal education). Results: Sedentary behavior at either time point was not significantly associated with either locomotor or object control skills after adjusting for potential confounders. Discussion: Our results did not support the assumption that sedentary behavior affects motor competence in young children. Regardless, given the lack of consistency in the evidence base, we recommend to parents, educators, and health professionals that sedentary activities should be kept within government recommendations due to potential negative effects on child development.
This study examined the relationship among sex, body mass index, motor skill competence (MSC), perceived physical competence (PPC), and school-day physical activity in preschool students (N = 34). ...Physical activity was assessed by steps accumulated during the school day, while MSC and PPC were assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd edition (Ulrich, 2000) and the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance (Harter & Pike, 1984). Regression analyses revealed that preschool students' locomotor ability accounted for 21% (p = .007) of the variance associated with school-day physical activity. The findings support an association between participants' ability to locomote and be physically active. The findings warrant future investigations to examine the relationship between locomotor skills and physical activity behaviors.
Background: Motor skill competence (MSC) and perceived competence (PC) are primary correlates that are linked with physical activity (PA) participation, yet there is limited evidence of the mutual ...longitudinal or temporal associations between these variables in preschoolers. Therefore, this study’s purpose was to examine the bidirectional relationships between MSC and PA, MSC and PC, and PC and PA in preschoolers over time. Methods: The final sample were 61 preschoolers (Mage = 4.45 years, ranging from 4 to 5) from two underserved schools. MSC was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition (TGMD-2). PC was assessed using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children. PA was assessed using ActiGraph GT9X Link accelerometers during three consecutive school days. All assessments of MSC, PC, and PA were measured in identical conditions at schools at the baseline (T1) and the end of the eighth week (T2). We employed a cross-lagged model approach to understand the bidirectional relationships between MSC, PC, and PA. Results: The results showed that T1 MSC significantly predicted T2 MSC (p < 0.01) and T1 MSC significantly predicted T2 PA only in girls (p = 0.03). Additionally, a cross-lagged effect of T1 MSC and T2 PC was only observed in boys (p = 0.03). Lastly, a significant association for T1 moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and T2 PC was only observed in girls (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Bidirectional relationships between the variables were not observed in preschoolers. However, significant gender differences were observed in each cross-lagged model.
► Children with CP are less active and more sedentary than typically developing children. ► Children who are more skillful tend to be more active than those who have lower movement skills ...proficiency. ► Movement pattern proficiency influences the physical activity of children with CP more than typically developing children.
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) proficiency is believed to influence children's physical activity (PA), with those more proficient tending to be more active. Children with cerebral palsy (CP), who represent the largest diagnostic group treated in pediatric rehabilitation, have been found to be less active than typically developing children. This study examined the association of FMS proficiency with PA in a group of children with CP, and compared the data with a group of typically developing children. Five FMS (run, jump, kick, throw, catch) were tested using process- and product-oriented measures, and accelerometers were used to monitor PA over a 7-day period. The results showed that children with CP spent less time in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), but more time in sedentary behavior than typically developing children. FMS proficiency was negatively associated with sedentary time and positively associated with time spent in MVPA in both groups of children. Process-oriented FMS measures (movement patterns) were found to have a stronger influence on PA in children with CP than in typically developing children. The findings provide evidence that FMS proficiency facilitates activity accrual among children with CP, suggesting that rehabilitation and physical education programs that support FMS development may contribute to PA-related health benefits.
「Abstract.」 Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical, psychological and social factors associated with the locomotor skills of housebound community-dwelling stroke patients. ...Methods The subjects were 78 stroke patients who had been discharged for more than six months. We classified subjects as 31 patients who had difficulty with going out by themselves and, 47 patients who could go out by themselves. We investigated psychological and social factors by questionnaire and physical factors from medical records. Results The number of “type 1” housebound patients were 25, and the main factor associated with “type 1” housebound was instrumental self-maintenance of the TMIG index of competence. The number of “type 2” housebound patients were 18, and the main factors associated with “type 2” housebound were the Barthel Index, expectations for rehabilitation, and presence or absence of a role in the community. Conclusions The factors associated with housebound were different according to type. Therefore it is necessary to tailor physical therapy to prevent a housebound condition according to locomotor skills.
Running may affect the mood, behavior and neurochemistry of running animals. In the present study, we investigated whether voluntary daily running, sustained over several months, might improve ...cognition and motor function and modify the brain levels of selected proteins (SOD1, DYRK1A, MAP2, APP and synaptophysin) in Ts65Dn mice, a mouse model for Down syndrome (DS). Ts65Dn and age-matched wild-type mice, all females, had free access to a running wheel either from the time of weaning (post-weaning cohort) or from around 7months of age (adult cohort). Sedentary female mice were housed in similar cages, without running wheels. Behavioral testing and evaluation of motor performance showed that running improved cognitive function and motor skills in Ts65Dn mice. However, while a dramatic improvement in the locomotor functions and learning of motor skills was observed in Ts65Dn mice from both post-weaning and adult cohorts, improved object memory was seen only in Ts65Dn mice that had free access to the wheel from weaning. The total levels of APP and MAP2ab were reduced and the levels of SOD1 were increased in the runners from the post-weaning cohort, while only the levels of MAP2ab and α-cleaved C-terminal fragments of APP were reduced in the adult group in comparison with sedentary trisomic mice. Hence, our study demonstrates that Ts65Dn females benefit from sustained voluntary physical exercise, more prominently if running starts early in life, providing further support to the idea that a properly designed physical exercise program could be a valuable adjuvant to future pharmacotherapy for DS.
► We studied the effect of running on the behavior and protein levels of Ts65Dn mice, a Down syndrome model. ► Cognitive functions improved only in mice that started running at weaning. ► Running initiated at both periods of life (post-weaning and adult) improved motor balance and memory of motor skills. ► Running affected the levels of some proteins, such as APP and SOD1, linked to Down syndrome.
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