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Birthweight, body composition, and motor performance in 7- to 10-year-old children

Marcos André Moura-Dos-Santos1, Marcelus Brito De Almeida, Raul Manhães-De-Castro

  • 1Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|December 23, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Higher birthweight is linked to better strength and speed in children, even after accounting for body composition. However, birthweight did not impact overall gross motor coordination skills.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health and Development
  • Sports Science and Kinesiology
  • Human Growth and Nutrition

Background:

  • Birthweight is a critical early-life factor influencing long-term health and development.
  • Understanding the relationship between birthweight and childhood motor performance is crucial for identifying potential developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the influence of birthweight on children's motor performance and body composition.
  • To determine if associations between birthweight and motor skills persist after adjusting for key anthropometric and body composition variables.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 483 children (7-10 years old) from northeast Brazil.
  • Motor performance assessed via physical fitness tests (strength, endurance, speed, VO2max) and gross motor coordination (KTK).
  • Body composition analyzed using height, body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass (FFM), and % body fat.

Main Results:

  • Positive correlations found between birthweight and height, BMI, and FFM.
  • Birthweight positively correlated with handgrip strength and negatively with sprint time, independent of age, height, BMI, FFM, and % body fat.
  • Negative association between birthweight and relative VO2max was not significant after adjusting for BMI or FFM.

Conclusions:

  • Birthweight is a significant predictor of height, BMI, FFM, and performance in strength and velocity tests in children.
  • Gross motor coordination was not influenced by birthweight in this cohort.
  • These findings highlight the lasting impact of birthweight on specific physical capabilities.
Abstract

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