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Assessment of physical fitness and exercise tolerance in children with developmental coordination disorder
Faiçal Farhat1, Ines Hsairi1, Hamza Baiti2
1Neuropediatry UR.0805, Hedi Chaker Hôpital, Faculty of Medicine, Sfax, Tunisia.
Insights
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) exhibit poorer physical fitness and exercise tolerance. Higher body mass index (BMI) in these children correlates with reduced explosive strength, power, and endurance, likely due to motor control issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Movement science
- Child development
Background:
- Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) often display reduced physical fitness compared to typically developing peers.
- Understanding the interplay between body composition, fitness, and exercise tolerance is crucial for this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships among body composition (BMI), physical fitness (agility, explosive strength, power), and exercise tolerance (6-minute walk test) in children with and without DCD.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-seven children (7-9 years) were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) to classify groups.
- Physical fitness was evaluated via the five-jump test (5JT), triple-hop distance (THD), and modified agility test (MAT).
- Exercise tolerance was measured using the 6-minute walking test (6MWT).
Main Results:
- Children with DCD performed significantly worse across all MABC subscales, agility, explosive strength, power, and exercise tolerance tests.
- In the DCD group, body mass index (BMI) correlated significantly with triple-hop distance, five-jump test, and 6-minute walk test performance.
- Specific correlations were observed between various fitness components and exercise tolerance within the DCD group, with gender-specific patterns noted.
Conclusions:
- Body mass index (BMI) is a significant indicator of poorer explosive strength, power, and exercise tolerance in children with DCD.
- Impaired motor control associated with DCD likely contributes to these reduced physical capabilities.
- Findings highlight the importance of addressing both motor coordination and body composition for improving physical health in children with DCD.
Abstract:
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have been shown to be less physically fit when compared to their typically developing peers. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships among body composition, physical fitness and exercise tolerance in children with and without DCD. Thirty-seven children between the ages of 7 and 9 years participated in this study. Participants were classified according to results obtained on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) and were divided in 2 groups: 19 children with DCD and 18 children without DCD. All children performed the following physical fitness tests: The five-jump test (5JT), the triple-hop distance (THD) and the modified agility test (MAT). Walking distance was assessed using the 6-min walking test (6MWT). Children with DCD showed higher scores than children without DCD in all MABC subscale scores, as well as in the total score (p<0.001). Participants with DCD were found to perform significantly worse on the MAT (p<0.001), the THD (p<0.001) and 5JT (p<0.05). Moreover, children with DCD had poorer performance on the 6MWT than children without DCD (p<0.01). Our results found significant correlations among body mass index (BMI), THD (r=0.553, p<0.05), 5JT (r=0.480, p<0.05) and 6MWT (r=0.544, p<0.05) only in DCD group. A significant correlation between MAT and 5JT (r=-0.493, p<0.05) was found. Similarly, THD and 5JT (r=0.611, p<0.01) was found to be correlated in children with DCD. We also found relationships among 6MWT and MAT (r=-0.522, p<0.05) and the 6MWT and 5JT (r=0.472, p<0.05) in DCD group. In addition, we found gender specific patterns in the relationship between exercise tolerance, explosive strength, power, DCD, and BMI. In conclusion, the present study revealed that BMI was indicative of poorer explosive strength, power and exercise tolerance in children with DCD compared to children without DCD probably due to a limited coordination on motor control.
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