Physical activity in young children at risk for developmental coordination disorder

Area of Science:

• Pediatric physical activity research
• Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) studies
• Childhood motor development

Background:

• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects motor skills in children.
• Understanding physical activity patterns in at-risk children is crucial for early intervention.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated activity accumulation differences in preschool children with DCD risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare daily physical activity accumulation patterns in preschool children at risk for DCD versus typically developing peers.
• To identify cross-sectional differences in activity intensity, frequency, and duration.
• To investigate how motor competence influences physical activity behavior in early childhood.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 514 preschool children (4-5 years) into probable DCD (pDCD), at-risk DCD (rDCD), and typically developing (TD) groups based on motor assessments.
• Measured 7-day physical activity using hip-worn accelerometers.
• Analyzed average daily intensity, MVPA bout frequency/duration, and activity counts per minute.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in overall daily activity intensity or movement axes were observed among the pDCD, rDCD, and TD groups.
• Children with probable DCD accumulated their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in significantly shorter bout durations compared to typically developing children.
• Activity counts per minute did not differ across the motor groups.

Conclusions:

• Preschool children at risk for DCD do not exhibit an 'activity deficit' compared to their peers.
• Shorter MVPA bout accumulation in probable DCD may reflect differences in play engagement or motor skill demands.
• Early motor interventions could potentially enhance sustained physical activity participation in children with DCD.