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Effects of Overweight/Obesity on Motor Performance in Children: A Systematic Review
Waleska Maria Almeida Barros1,2, Karollainy Gomes da Silva2, Roberta Karlize Pereira Silva2
1Programa de Pós-graduação em Neuropsiquiatria e Ciências do Comportamento, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Brazil.
Insights
Childhood obesity is linked to poor gross motor coordination and reduced physical activity in children. Higher body fat percentage correlates with decreased neuromuscular performance and increased health risks.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Sports Medicine
Abstract:
Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem. Childhood obesity and overweight are associated with the appearance of coordination deficit disorder and can cause impaired motor performance. We searched online databases for all related articles using comprehensive international databases from the Medline PubMed Institute, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO up to December 20, 2020. Overall, 33 studies were included in this systematic review. The present review demonstrated that children with higher percentage of body fat had lower levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity, as well as decreased levels of gross motor coordination, as shown by tests for neuromuscular performance. These results corroborate the hypothesis that overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are associated, not only with insufficient performance during gross motor coordination activities, but also with a greater risk to physical health.
Systematic Review Registration:
[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42020182935].
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