Abstract:
There is an emerging awareness that children with poor motor abilities are at
particular risk for overweight. This cross-sectional study examined the influence of
physical activity behaviour on the relationship between motor proficiency and body
composition.
Participants were 1287 (646 males, 641 females) Grade 6 students in the Physical
Health Activity Study project. Height, weight, waist girth, and motor proficiency
(Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Performance BOTMP-SF) were assessed. Physical
activity behaviours were also evaluated with a multifaceted approach and reported for
school-based, non-school based physical activity, free-time play, and sedentary activities
(Participation Questionnaire), and leisure time exercise (Godin-Shephard Leisure Time
Exercise Questionnaire GS). Overweight was defined by BMI scores: boys :::20.6-21.2
and <25.1-26.0; girls: ::: 20.7-21.7and <25.4-26.7 and obesity was defined as: boys::::
25.1-26.0; girls: :::25.4-26.7. Children were classified as case group (CG,::; 10% on
BOTMP-SF), borderline case group (BC, > 10% to ::; 20% on BOTMP-SF) or non-case
group.
Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) uncovered a significant difference in overweight
and obesity between the case group and non-case group. Normal-weight children
reported higher participation in organized school-sports (intra-mural and inter-school
teams). The CG reported significantly lower participation in school sports teams and
lower GS results, with a trend towards lower participation in all active pursuits. They also
reported a significantly higher duration of television watching and book reading. There were no significant differences between motor proficiency groups by gender, age, nonschool
sports, or free-time activity. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis
showed that the case group was 10.9 times more likely to be overweight/obese than their
peers. No single aspect of physical activity was able to explain the difference in odds
ratios for the motor proficiency groups. However, for the entire cohort, children who
participated in more organized school sports were less likely to be overweight/obese.
These findings confirm that children with low motor proficiency are at significant
risk of developing overweight. It is evident that these children have generally attenuated
activity levels and heightened levels of sedentary pursuits. School-based activities appear
particularly limited, and are the one area where children have near autonomy in their
decision to pursue active opportunities. The promotion of school-based programs,
specifically intramural sports may be an important aspect in increasing children's overall
activity levels. It is also essential to consider the needs of those children with low motor
proficiency when designing activity promotion programs. Future research should further
explore motor proficiency and overweight/obesity.
