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Functional movement is negatively associated with weight status and positively associated with physical activity in
Michael J Duncan1, Michelle Stanley
1Department of Biomolecular and Sports Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK.
Insights
Childhood obesity and low physical activity negatively impact functional movement skills. Overweight children demonstrated significantly poorer performance on the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) compared to normal-weight peers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Childhood obesity research
- Movement science
Background:
- Prior research indicates a link between childhood overweight/obesity and reduced functional movement.
- However, specific examination in pediatric populations, particularly concerning ambulatory physical activity, was lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI), ambulatory physical activity (PA), and Functional Movement Screen (FMS) performance in 10-11-year-old children.
- To compare FMS scores between normal-weight and overweight/obese children.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 58 children aged 10-11 years.
- Assessed BMI, measured ambulatory physical activity, and administered the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).
- Statistical analysis to determine correlations and predictive relationships between BMI, PA, and FMS scores.
Main Results:
- Total FMS score was significantly negatively correlated with BMI (P = .0001) and positively related to PA (P = .029).
- Normal-weight children achieved significantly higher FMS scores (15.5 ± 2.2) than overweight/obese children (10.6 ± 2.1) (P = .0001).
- BMI and PA were significant predictors of functional movement, explaining 52.9% and 7.3% of the variance in FMS scores, respectively (Adjusted R² = .602).
Conclusions:
- Ambulatory physical activity and weight status are significant predictors of functional movement in British children.
- Interventions should integrate functional movement skill development with physical activity and weight management strategies.
- Addressing suboptimal movement patterns in childhood is crucial to mitigate risks of future orthopaedic abnormalities.
Abstract:
Although prior studies have suggested that overweight and obesity in childhood are associated with poorer functional movement performance, no study appears to have examined this issue in a pediatric population. The relations between BMI, ambulatory physical activity and functional movement screen (FMS) performance were compared in 58, 10-11-year-old children. Total FMS score was significantly, negatively correlated with BMI (P = .0001) and positively related to PA (P = .029). Normal weight children scored significantly better for total FMS score compared to children classified as overweight/obese (P = .0001). Mean ± S.D. of FMS scores were 15.5 ± 2.2 and 10.6 ± 2.1 in normal weight and overweight/obese children, respectively. BMI and PA were also significant predictors of functional movement (P = .0001, Adjusted R(2) = .602) with BMI and PA predicting 52.9% and 7.3% of the variance in total FMS score, respectively. The results of this study highlight that ambulatory physical activity and weight status are significant predictors of functional movement in British children. Scientists and practitioners therefore need to consider interventions which develop functional movement skills alongside physical activity and weight management strategies in children in order to reduce the risks of orthopaedic abnormality arising from suboptimal movement patterns in later life.
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