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Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
An exploratory analysis examining differences in physical activity and motor competence in children with and without
Anna Schwartz1, Lexie R Beemer1, Tiwaloluwa A Ajibewa1
1School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Objective:
The purpose of this pilot study was to examine potential differences in motor competence (MC) and physical activity (PA) between children with and without asthma.
Methods:
Thirty-seven children and adolescents completed the Exercises for a Healthy Asthma Lifestyle and Enjoyment study (46% with asthma, 51% female, 11.1 ± 0.4 years, and 46% White). Motor competence was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd edition (MABC-2). PA was assessed using accelerometry.
Results:
Children with asthma had significantly lower MC in the domain of aiming and catching (with asthma: 8.2 ± 0.4 vs. without asthma: 9.9 ± 0.5; p = 0.03) and fewer daily minutes spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (with asthma: 18.0 ± 2.3 min vs. without asthma: 27.2 ± 3.6 min; p = 0.047). There were no significant group differences in manual dexterity, balance, total MABC-2 score, or total daily PA (all ps > 0.05).
Conclusions:
This study provides confirmatory evidence that children with asthma display lower MC and spend less time in MVPA compared to children without asthma. Because MC is a prerequisite for engaging in PA, future research should seek to determine if the differences observed in MC contribute to disparities in MVPA observed in this clinical population.
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