Cross-Sectional Associations Between Wake-Time Movement Compositions and Mental Health in Preschool Children With and Without Motor Coordination Problems
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Published on: July 27, 2022
Denver M Y Brown1,2, Matthew Y W Kwan2,3, Sara King-Dowling2,4
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States.
Insights
Preschool children at risk for Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) show similar movement patterns to typically developing peers. Sedentary time was linked to externalizing problems, but overall, movement composition explained little of the variance in preschool mental health.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Movement Science
- Pediatric Mental Health
Background:
- Movement behaviors are crucial for child health, especially for those with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), who often face mental health challenges.
- Limited research exists on the daily movement composition of preschool children with DCD and its link to mental health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare movement compositions (sedentary time, light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) between typically developing (TD) and at-risk for DCD (rDCD) preschoolers.
- To investigate associations between movement compositions and mental health indicators in preschoolers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized baseline data from the Coordination and Activity Tracking in CHildren (CATCH) study.
- Included 589 preschoolers (aged ~4.9 years), with 288 classified as rDCD based on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2.
- Measured movement behaviors via accelerometers and assessed mental health using the Child Behavior Checklist.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in movement composition were found between TD and rDCD preschool children after controlling for confounders.
- A significant association was observed between sedentary time and externalizing problems in the overall sample.
- Other associations between movement compositions and mental health indicators did not reach statistical significance.
Conclusions:
- Preschoolers at risk for DCD exhibit similar movement patterns to their typically developing peers.
- Movement behaviors explained minimal variance in preschool mental health, suggesting other factors may be more influential at this age.
- Future research should explore developmental changes in movement composition and their impact on mental health later in childhood.
Abstract:
Movement behaviors have been found to be important correlates of health for children and may be particularly important for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) who often experience greater mental health problems. To date, however, little research has investigated the daily movement composition of preschool children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and/or its association with mental health. The purpose of the current study was to: (1) examine whether differences in movement compositions (i.e., sedentary time, light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) exist between typically developing (TD) preschool-age children and those at risk for DCD (rDCD); and (2) investigate associations between movement compositions and mental health indicators. This cross-sectional study used the baseline cohort data from the Coordination and Activity Tracking in CHildren (CATCH) study. A total of 589 preschool-age children (Mage = 4.94 ± 0.59 years; 57.4% boys) were included in this analysis, of which 288 scored at or below the 16th percentile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 and were thus classified as rDCD. Wake time movement behaviors were measured using accelerometers and parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist to assess their child's mental health (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). Compositional data analysis techniques were used. After adjusting for potential confounders, the results demonstrated similar movement compositions between TD and rDCD children. Among the full sample, findings revealed a significant association between sedentary time and externalizing problems, however, each of the other associations did not reach statistical significance. These results are consistent with emerging evidence demonstrating similar patterns of physical activity and sedentary time among TD children and those classified as rDCD during the preschool years. Although movement behaviors explained little variance in mental health during this period, future research should investigate when movement compositions diverge, and how these changes may impact the mental health of TD children and those classified as rDCD later in childhood.
