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Fundamental movement skills and habitual physical activity in young children

Abigail Fisher1, John J Reilly, Louise A Kelly

  • 1University of Glasgow Division of Developmental Medicine, Yorkhill Hospitals, Glasgow, SCOTLAND.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|April 6, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Objectively measured physical activity showed a weak association with fundamental movement skills in preschool children. This study questions the commonly assumed link between motor skills and physical activity levels in early childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric exercise science
  • Childhood motor development
  • Physical activity research

Background:

  • Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are crucial for children's physical health and well-being.
  • Habitual physical activity levels in early childhood are often low.
  • A presumed positive relationship between FMS and physical activity is widely accepted but not well-established in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between objectively measured physical activity and FMS in a large, representative sample of preschool children.
  • To determine if higher levels of physical activity correlate with better fundamental movement skills.
  • To examine the strength of the relationship between different intensities of physical activity and motor skill proficiency.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized accelerometers (Computer Science and Applications - CSA) to objectively measure physical activity over six days in 394 preschool children (mean age 4.2 years).
  • Assessed 15 fundamental movement skills using the Movement Assessment Battery by a single, trained observer.
  • Analyzed correlations between total physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light-intensity physical activity, and total movement skills score.

Main Results:

  • Total physical activity demonstrated a significant, albeit weak, positive correlation with the total movement skills score (r=0.10, P<0.05).
  • Percent time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) showed a significant, weak positive association with the total movement skills score (r=0.18, P<0.001).
  • No significant correlation was found between time spent in light-intensity physical activity and motor skills score (r=0.02, P>0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Fundamental movement skills are significantly associated with habitual physical activity in preschool children, but this relationship is weak.
  • The findings challenge the widely assumed strong link between motor skill proficiency and physical activity levels in young children.
  • Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay between motor development and physical activity patterns in early childhood.
Abstract

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