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Relationship between the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and fundamental motor skills in preschoolers
Chelsea L Kracht1, E Kipling Webster2, Amanda E Staiano1
1Pennington Biomedical Research Center, United States.
Insights
Promoting adequate physical activity (PA), sleep, and screen time in preschoolers is crucial for developing fundamental motor skills (FMS). Adhering to movement guidelines positively impacts children's motor development over time.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Motor Development
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are essential for children's physical and cognitive development.
- Preschoolers' adherence to 24-Hour Movement Guidelines is not well understood in relation to FMS.
- Understanding these associations can inform early childhood intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between adherence to 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and FMS in preschoolers.
- To determine if physical activity (PA), sleep, and screen time influence motor skill development.
- To examine the longitudinal impact of movement behaviors on FMS.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study followed 107 preschoolers (3-4 years old) for one year.
- Objective measures included accelerometers for PA and sleep, and the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3) for FMS.
- Parental reports and linear regression analyses assessed guideline adherence and its association with FMS outcomes.
Main Results:
- While most preschoolers met PA and sleep guidelines, few met screen-time or all guidelines.
- Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was positively associated with locomotor and total FMS scores cross-sectionally.
- Baseline PA, sleep, and screen time, as well as meeting screen-time and all guidelines, predicted better FMS at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Each component of the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines contributes to the development of FMS in preschoolers.
- Promoting healthy movement behaviors is vital for optimizing child health and motor development.
- Interventions targeting PA, sleep, and screen time are recommended for early childhood.
Objectives:
To examine the association among 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and fundamental motor skills (FMS) in preschoolers.
Design:
Prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up.
Methods:
Parents of 3-4-year-old children reported child age, sex, race, and time spent viewing screens (hours/day). Accelerometers measured preschooler physical activity (PA) and sleep. The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines were examined (≥3 h/day total PA including ≥1 h/day of moderate-to-vigorous [MVPA], 10-13 h/day of sleep, and ≤1 h/day of screen-time). Trained researchers administered the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3) to assess FMS. Linear regression was used to assess guidelines met and raw locomotor, ball skills, and total TGMD-3 scores with adjustment for covariates.
Results:
One hundred and seven preschoolers provided complete cross-sectional data, and 53 preschoolers provided complete longitudinal data. Of the 107 preschoolers, they were 3.4 ± 0.6 years of age, 44% were male, 50% were White, and the mean age-and-sex adjusted TGMD-3 total score percentile was below average (41 ± 22). Many preschoolers met the PA guideline (91%) and sleep guideline (83%), but few preschoolers met the screen-time guideline (8%) or all three guidelines (6%). MVPA was positively associated with locomotor and total TGMD-3 scores in cross-sectional analysis (p < 0.05 for all). Baseline PA, sleep, and screen-time were associated with total TGMD-3 score at follow-up (p < 0.05 for all). Meeting the screen-time guideline and all three guidelines at baseline were each positively associated with total TGMD-3 score at follow-up (p < 0.05 for all).
Conclusions:
Each movement behavior contributed to later FMS. Promotion of adequate movement behaviors is warranted for child health.
