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Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
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Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools

Published on: June 20, 2020

A mixed-longitudinal study of children's growth, motor development and cognition. Design, methods and baseline

Ana Carolina Reyes1, Raquel Chaves2, Adam D G Baxter-Jones3

  • 1a CIFI2D, Faculty of Sport , University of Porto , Porto , Portugal.

Annals of Human Biology
|October 18, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Boys had higher birth weight and better hopping coordination than girls, who had more body fat. These findings highlight sex-based differences in early child development and physical fitness.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric growth and development
  • Childhood motor skills
  • Cognitive development in children

Background:

  • Longitudinal studies linking children's growth, motor, and cognitive development are gaining interest.
  • Understanding these links is crucial for educational outcomes and identifying at-risk children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify cross-sectional sex-differences in a cohort of Portuguese children.
  • To analyze variations in anthropometry, motor coordination, cognitive performance, and physical fitness between boys and girls.

Main Methods:

  • 1166 Portuguese children aged 4-11 years participated in the Growth, Motor Development and Cognition Study (GMDC-Vouzela).
  • Data collected included anthropometry, gestational development, motor coordination, cognitive performance, laterality, physical fitness, metabolic syndrome risk, lifestyle, and environmental exposures.
  • Analysis of covariance adjusted for chronological age was used to compare outcomes between sexes.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences were found for most variables (p > 0.05).
  • Girls exhibited higher body fat mass (p < 0.05), while boys had significantly higher birth weight (p < 0.05).
  • Boys outperformed girls in hopping coordination (p < 0.001) and demonstrated greater physical fitness (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Baseline data from the GMDC-Vouzela study reveal dynamic interplay between biological and environmental factors in child development.
  • Specific lifestyle traits identified may significantly influence subsequent growth, motor, and cognitive development.
  • Sex-based differences in physical characteristics and performance metrics were observed in this cohort.
Abstract

Keywords:
Childrendevelopmentgrowthmethodsmixed-longitudinal study

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