Basic motor competencies and the amount of physical education in European primary school children

Children show large differences in their basic motor competencies (BMC), which are key learning objectives of physical education (PE) and serve as a foundation for participating in school-based and extracurricular sports. While individual determinants, including age, sex, and extracurricular physical activity, are known to consistently predict BMC, studies investigating the role of structural aspects of PE on children's BMC levels are lacking. This study examined whether weekly PE time is associated with differences in BMC levels in children across Europe, beyond individual factors. Endogenous (age, sex, body-mass-index), exogenous (participation in ball or individual sports) and structural factors (amount of weekly PE) along with BMC values (object movement and self-movement, tested with the MOBAK-1-2 and MOBAK-3-4) were assessed in 4291 6- to 10-year-old children (50 % girls) in twelve European countries. Hierarchical regression models revealed that individual factors were consistent predictors of BMC, but no associations were found between the amount of PE and BMC. These results indicate that other PE aspects may be more indicative of differences in BMC than the amount of PE. The significant role of extracurricular sports underscores the importance of analysing and promoting the availability of such activities.