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Differences between Healthy-Weight and Overweight Serbian Preschool Children in Motor and Cognitive Abilities
Boris Banjevic1, Dragana Aleksic2, Aleksandra Aleksic Veljkovic3
1Faculty for Sport and Physical Education, University of Montenegro, 81400 Niksic, Montenegro.
Insights
Overweight preschool children show deficits in gross motor skills, specifically manipulative and total skills, compared to healthy-weight peers. No significant differences were found in fine motor skills or cognitive abilities between the groups.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Psychology
- Kinesiology
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing concern affecting physical and cognitive development.
- Understanding motor skill and cognitive differences between healthy-weight and overweight children is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and cognitive abilities in healthy-weight versus overweight 5-6-year-old preschool children.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study with 91 preschool children (41 boys, 50 girls).
- Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated using WHO criteria.
- Bruininks-Oseretsky (BOT-2) subtests for fine motor skills.
- Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) for gross motor skills.
- School Maturity Test (TZŠ+) for cognitive abilities.
Main Results:
- Overweight children exhibited significantly poorer manipulative skills and overall gross motor skills compared to healthy-weight children.
- No statistically significant differences were observed in fine motor skills or cognitive abilities between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- While overweight status impacts gross motor development in preschoolers, fine motor skills and cognitive abilities appear unaffected in this age group.
- Further longitudinal research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms, potentially including psychological factors.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to determine the differences between healthy-weight and overweight 5-6-year-old preschool children in fine and gross motor skills and cognitive abilities. There were 91 subjects, preschool children (41 boys and 50 girls), who participated in this cross-sectional study. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on measures of body height and body mass, and WHO cutoff points were used for the assessment of the children's nutrition status. Fine motor abilities were determined using two Bruininks-Oseretsky (BOT-2) subtests, and gross motor skills are determined by the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), while cognitive abilities were tested by the School Maturity Test (TZŠ+). Based on an independent-samples t-test, a difference in two out of three variables of gross motor skills was determined: manipulative skills and total gross motor skills between healthy-weight and overweight children, while in fine motor abilities and cognitive abilities there was no difference between these two groups. Although significant differences were found only in gross motor skills between healthy and overweight preschool children but not in fine motor skills and cognitive abilities, further longitudinal studies are required to understand the mechanisms of this, including the possible role of psychological factors.
