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Poor Motor Competence Affects Functional Capacities and Healthcare in Children and Adolescents with Obesity
Matteo Vandoni1, Luca Marin1,2, Caterina Cavallo3
1Laboratory of Adapted Motor Activity (LAMA)-Department of Public Health, Experimental Medicine and Forensic Science, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Insights
Children with obesity exhibit poorer motor skills and executive functions. Early, tailored physical activity (PA) interventions are vital for improving motor proficiency and lifelong health in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Motor Development
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Fundamental motor skills are essential for children's development and physical activity (PA) adherence.
- Deficits in motor competence are linked to pediatric obesity.
- This review examines motor competence in pediatrics and motor performance in children and adolescents with obesity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on motor competence in pediatric populations.
- To analyze the relationship between obesity and impaired motor performance in children and adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Literature search of 110 abstracts.
- Full-text review of 65 relevant articles.
- Critical discussion of findings.
Main Results:
- Children and adolescents with obesity demonstrate impaired motor performance, executive functions, postural control, and coordination.
- Age is a critical factor in motor skill development.
- Early interventions can prevent motor skill decline and improve PA and fitness.
Conclusions:
- PA programs must be engaging and individualized for children, considering their health status and motor skills.
- Supervised, adapted exercise programs are recommended for personalized PA from an early pediatric age.
Background:
From a young age, children learn different motor skills known as fundamental motor skills. The acquisition of these skills is crucial for the future development of context-tailored actions that could improve adherence to physical activity (PA) practice. Motor competence and function deficits have been associated with pediatric obesity. We reviewed the literature data regarding motor competence in pediatrics and impaired motor performance in children and adolescents with obesity.
Methods:
We assessed the abstracts of the available literature (n = 110) and reviewed the full texts of potentially relevant articles (n = 65) that were analyzed to provide a critical discussion.
Results:
Children and adolescents with obesity show impaired motor performance, executive functions, postural control, and motor coordination. Children's age represents a crucial point in the development of motor skills. Early interventions are crucial to preventing declines in motor proficiency and impacting children's PA and overall fitness levels.
Conclusions:
To involve children, the PA protocol must be fun and tailored in consideration of several aspects, such as clinical picture, level of physical fitness, and motor skills. A supervised adapted exercise program is useful to personalized PA programs from an early pediatric age.
