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The association between functional movement and overweight and obesity in British primary school children
Michael J Duncan1, Michelle Stanley2, Sheila Leddington Wright2
1Coventry University, Coventry, UK ; Department of Biomolecular and Sports Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK.
Insights
Overweight and obese children demonstrate poorer functional movement. Girls generally outperform boys in functional movement tests, highlighting a significant link between weight status and physical ability in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Movement Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity are significant public health concerns.
- Understanding factors influencing functional movement in children is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between functional movement and overweight/obesity in British children.
- To compare functional movement capabilities across weight status categories (normal, overweight, obese) and between genders.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 90 British children aged 7-10 years was studied.
- Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated to classify participants into normal weight, overweight, or obese categories.
- Functional movement was assessed using the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation was found between total functional movement score and BMI (P=.0001).
- Normal weight children exhibited significantly better functional movement scores than obese children (P=.0001).
- Girls demonstrated superior performance in specific functional movement tests compared to boys.
Conclusions:
- Overweight and obesity are significantly linked to reduced functional movement in children.
- Gender differences exist in functional movement, with girls generally outperforming boys in certain aspects.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between functional movement and overweight and obesity in British children.
Methods:
Data were obtained from 90, 7-10 year old children (38 boys and 52 girls). Body mass (kg) and height (m) were assessed from which body mass index (BMI) was determined and children were classified as normal weight, overweight or obese according to international cut offs. Functional movement was assessed using the functional movement screen.
Results:
Total functional movement score was significantly, negatively correlated with BMI (P = .0001). Functional movement scores were also significantly higher for normal weight children compared to obese children (P = .0001). Normal weight children performed significantly better on all individual tests within the functional movement screen compared to their obese peers (P <0.05) and significantly better than overweight children for the deep squat (P = .0001) and shoulder mobility tests (P = .04). Overweight children scored significantly better than obese in the hurdle step (P = .0001), in line lunge (P = .05), shoulder mobility (P = .04) and active straight leg raise (P = .016). Functional movement scores were not significantly different between boys and girls (P > .05) when considered as total scores. However, girls performed significantly better than boys on the hurdle step (P = .03) and straight leg raise (P = .004) but poorer than boys on the trunk stability push-up (P = .014).
Conclusions:
This study highlights that overweight and obesity are significantly associated with poorer functional movement in children and that girls outperform boys in functional movements.
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