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Tracking cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity in children with and without motor coordination problems
John Cairney1, Scott Veldhuizen2, Sara King-Dowling3
1Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto, Canada; Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Canada; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, CanChild Centre for Studies in Childhood Disability, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Canada; INfant and Child Health (INCH) Lab, McMaster University, Canada.
Insights
Children with possible DCD have lower cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Physical activity did not explain the persistent gap in CRF between children with and without motor coordination deficits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Exercise Science
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) exhibit lower cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) compared to typically developing (TD) peers.
- An activity deficit hypothesis suggests motor impairments lead to reduced physical activity, causing lower CRF in children with DCD.
- This hypothesis has not been directly tested using longitudinal data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent to which physical activity mediates the relationship between motor coordination deficits and cardiorespiratory fitness in children.
- To longitudinally assess the role of physical activity in explaining differences in CRF between children with and without possible DCD.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal observational study of an open cohort of 2278 children aged 9-10, followed for 5 years.
- Possible DCD (pDCD) identified in children scoring ≤5th percentile on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) estimated via Léger 20m shuttle run; physical activity measured using the Participation Questionnaire up to 7 times.
Main Results:
- Children with pDCD consistently showed significantly lower CRF than TD peers throughout the study.
- CRF declined in both groups, with a steeper decline observed in children with pDCD.
- Physical activity levels accounted for only a minor portion of the CRF difference between the groups.
Conclusions:
- The activity deficit hypothesis does not explain the persistent and widening gap in CRF between children with and without pDCD.
- Findings suggest other factors contribute to lower CRF in children with motor coordination deficits.
- Further research is needed to explore alternative explanations and interventions.
Objectives:
Previous research has shown children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have lower cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) than typically developing (TD) children. This has been hypothesized to be due to an activity deficit, whereby poor motor functioning discourages children from participating in physical activities, but this hypothesis has not been directly tested. In this study, we use longitudinal data to measure the extent to which physical activity explains differences in CRF between children with and without motor coordination deficits.
Design:
Longitudinal observational study.
Methods:
The study sample is an open cohort of children, numbering 2278 at baseline (age 9-10), that was followed for up to 5 years (to age 13-14). Motor skills were assessed once over the study period. Children scoring at or below the 5th percentile (n=103) on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short Form were considered to have possible DCD (pDCD). CRF (estimated peak VO2) was estimated from performance on the Léger 20m shuttle run test, and physical activity was measured with the Participation Questionnaire. Both fitness and physical activity were measured up to 7 times over the study period.
Results:
Children with pDCD had significantly lower CRF than their TD peers at each time point. CRF declined for both groups, but this decline was steeper for children with pDCD. Physical activity explained only a small part of the difference in CRF.
Conclusions:
The activity deficit did not contribute to the persistent and gradually widening gap in CRF between children with and without possible DCD. Possible reasons for this and future directions are discussed.
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