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Association between Compliance with the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Fundamental Movement Skills in Preschoolers:
Clarice Maria de Lucena Martins1, Cain Craig Truman Clark2, Paulo Felipe Ribeiro Bandeira3
1Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa-PB 58000-000, Brazil.
Insights
Few preschoolers meet 24-hour movement guidelines. Ball skills are crucial for physical activity (PA) engagement in early childhood, highlighting their importance for overall development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Motor Development
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines is crucial for child development.
- Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) are foundational for physical activity (PA) engagement.
- Understanding the interplay between movement behaviors, FMS, and child characteristics is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze compliance with 24-hour movement guidelines in preschoolers.
- To investigate the association between movement guidelines adherence and FMS.
- To explore the influence of sex and Body Mass Index (BMI) on these relationships using a network perspective.
Main Methods:
- Network analysis was employed to examine relationships between variables.
- Data collected included physical activity, sleep duration, screen time, FMS, and BMI.
- Participants were 212 preschoolers (109 boys, aged 4.45 ± 0.78 years).
Main Results:
- Only 2% of the sample complied with overall 24-hour movement behavior recommendations.
- Network analysis identified ball skills as a critical centrality variable influencing PA engagement.
- Age was a significant factor in the centrality of ball skills.
Conclusions:
- Preschoolers exhibit low adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines.
- Ball skills are pivotal for promoting and sustaining PA in early childhood.
- The study offers novel insights into the complex associations between movement behaviors, FMS, and related factors.
Abstract:
The present study aimed to analyze the compliance with the 24-h movement guidelines and its association with fundamental motor skills (FMS) in early childhood, considering sex and Body Mass Index (BMI) in a network perspective. Two hundred and twelve preschoolers (109 boys, 4.45 ± 0.78 years old) provided physical activity (PA), sleep duration, screen time, fundamental motor skills (FMS) and BMI data. Relationships between compliance with movement behaviors guidelines, FMS, sex and BMI were calculated using a network analysis. Only two percent of the entire sample complied with the overall 24-h movement behaviors recommendations; while the emerged network in the present study emphasized ball skills as the most critical centrality variable, according to age, reinforcing the importance of ball skills for the engagement and maintenance of PA in children. The present study presents a novel statistical and theoretical perspective that permits hitherto unseen insight into the associations between movement behavior, FMS and their correlates, that appropriately consider the inherent, multifaceted, complexity of these relationships.
