Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
Published on: May 17, 2024
Motor and cognitive performance of overweight preschool children
1State Institute of Early Childhood Education and Research, Munich, Federal Republic of Germany. heinz.krombholz@ifp.bayern.de
Insights
Overweight children exhibit deficits in gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and cognitive abilities compared to healthy-weight peers. These findings highlight the impact of excess weight on overall child development and performance.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Pediatric Health
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Excess weight can impact physical and cognitive development.
- Socioeconomic factors may influence weight status in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare gross and fine motor skills and cognitive performance in obese and overweight children versus healthy weight children.
- To investigate the relationship between weight status and various developmental metrics in early childhood.
- To examine the influence of socioeconomic status and immigration background on these associations.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 1,543 children (43-84 months) in Munich, Germany.
- Classification of weight status using German Body Mass Index (BMI) standards.
- Assessment of physical characteristics, fitness, coordination, manual dexterity, and cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- Overweight and obese children demonstrated significantly lower performance in gross motor skills (coordination, fitness), manual dexterity, and intelligence compared to healthy weight children.
- Higher prevalence of overweight children was observed in lower socioeconomic and immigrant backgrounds.
- No significant association was found between weight status and sex.
Conclusions:
- Excess weight in early childhood is associated with impaired gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and cognitive abilities.
- Socioeconomic and immigration factors are linked to higher rates of overweight children.
- Early identification and intervention for childhood overweight are crucial for optimizing developmental outcomes.
Abstract:
Gross and fine motor skills and cognitive performance in obese and overweight children were compared to healthy weight children. Participants were 1,543 children (797 boys and 746 girls) ages 43 to 84 months, attending childcare centers in Munich, Germany. According to German Body Mass Index (BMI) standards for age and sex, 4.6% of the children were classified as obese (percentile greater or equal 97), 6.8% as overweight (percentile greater or equal 90 and less than 97), 5.9% as underweight (percentile less than 10), and 83.1% as being of healthy weight. Dependent variables were physical characteristics (height, weight, skinfold thickness), physical fitness (standing broad jump, shuttle run, hanging), body coordination (balancing forward, balancing backward, lateral jump, hopping), manual dexterity (right and left hand), and cognitive performance (intelligence, verbal ability, concentration). Higher proportions of children from lower socioeconomic and immigrant backgrounds were overweight. There was no association between weight and sex. Overweight children showed lower performance on gross motor skills (coordination and fitness), manual dexterity, and intelligence compared to healthy weight children, even after controlling for the effects of social class and immigration status.
