Trends in Motor Performance of First Graders: A Comparison of Cohorts from 2006 to 2015
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Sarah Spengler1, Matthias Rabel1, Arvid Marius Kuritz2
1Department of Sports and Health Science, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Insights
Childhood motor performance shows mixed trends: aerobic fitness declined in boys, while speed and balance improved for both sexes over a decade. Body Mass Index (BMI) had minimal impact on these changes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Motor Development
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood motor performance is crucial for overall health, impacting obesity and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
- A common belief suggests a decline in children's motor skills, but empirical evidence is limited.
- This study investigates motor performance trends in first graders over a 10-year period.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine trends in aerobic fitness, strength, speed, and balance among first-grade students from 2006 to 2015.
- To analyze these trends separately for boys and girls.
- To assess the potential confounding effect of Body Mass Index (BMI) on motor performance changes.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 5,001 first graders (50.8% boys) from 18 German primary schools (2006-2015).
- Annual data collection from 441-552 students per year.
- Utilized established tests: 6-minute run (aerobic fitness), push-ups (strength), 20-meter sprint (speed), and static stand (balance).
- Statistical analysis employed linear regression models.
Main Results:
- Aerobic fitness showed a slight negative trend in boys (p=0.012) but not in girls.
- No significant trend was detected in strength performance for either sex.
- Significant improvements were observed in speed (boys: p≤0.001; girls: p≤0.001) and balance (boys: p≤0.001; girls: p≤0.001) for both genders.
- These trends persisted even when considering BMI.
Conclusions:
- The assumption of a general decline in children's motor performance is only partially supported.
- Aerobic fitness decreased in boys, strength remained stable, while speed and balance improved in both sexes.
- Body Mass Index (BMI) explained only a small portion of the observed performance changes, suggesting lifestyle factors may play a larger role.
- Further research is needed to understand recent motor performance trends and their underlying causes.
Background:
Motor performance is an important factor for health. Already in childhood, motor performance is associated with, e.g., obesity and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. It is widely believed that the motor performance of children has declined over recent years. However, this belief is lacking clear evidence. The objective of this study was to examine trends in motor performance of first grade students during a period of 10 years (2006-2015). We examined trends in (a) aerobic fitness, (b) strength, (c) speed, and (d) balance for boys and girls separately and considered body mass index (BMI) as a potential confounder.
Methods:
From 2006 to 2015, we tested 5,001 first graders [50.8% boys; mean age 6.76 (0.56) years] of 18 primary schools in Germany. Each year between 441 and 552 students of the same schools were surveyed. Performance tests were taken from the Motorik-Module Study and the "German Motor Ability Test": "6-min run," "push-ups," "20-m sprint," and "static stand." Linear regression models were conducted for statistical analysis.
Results:
A slightly negative trend in aerobic fitness performance was revealed in boys (β = -0.050; p = 0.012) but not in girls. In the strength performance test no trend over time was detected. Performance in speed (boys: β = -0.094; girls: β = -0.143; p ≤ 0.001) and balance tests (boys: β = -0.142; girls: β = -0.232; p ≤ 0.001) increased over time for both boys and girls. These findings held true when BMI was considered.
Conclusion:
This study only partly supported the assumption that motor performance of children has declined: in our study, aerobic fitness declined (only in boys), while strength remained stable and speed and balance even increased in both sexes. Moreover, it seems as if BMI can explain changes in performance only to a small extent. Changed lifestyles might be a substantial cause. Further research on recent trends of motor performance and interacting variables is needed to support the results of our study and to provide more knowledge on causes of these trends.