A Fundamental Movement Skill Test for Preschool Children With and Without Overweight: The SALTO Test Battery

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Motor Skill Acquisition
• Biometrics

Background:

• Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are crucial for physical activity and health in early childhood.
• Assessing FMS in preschool children requires reliable and valid tools.
• Understanding FMS development across different demographic groups is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a 3-factor model of FMS (Locomotion, Object Manipulation, Balance) in preschool children.
• To incorporate both process- and product-oriented assessment methods.
• To test the model's measurement invariance across age, body weight, and sex subgroups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the SALTO test battery with 736 preschool children (aged 3-6 years).
• Employed a single-indicator multitrait-multimethod model with latent factors for skills and method.
• Conducted multigroup confirmatory factor analysis to test measurement invariance.

Main Results:

• The 3-factor model demonstrated good fit, confirming the construct validity of the SALTO test battery.
• Strong measurement invariance was observed across body mass index groups.
• Partial invariance was found across age and sex groups, with significant differences noted in skill performance based on age, weight status, and sex.

Conclusions:

• The SALTO test battery is a structurally valid tool for evaluating and comparing FMS in preschool children.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering age, weight status, and sex when designing interventions.
• This research supports the use of the SALTO battery for research and clinical practice in early childhood motor development.