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Infant gross motor development and childhood physical activity: Role of adiposity
Tomoko Aoyama1,2, Yuki Hikihara3, Masashi Watanabe4
1Department of Nutritional Epidemiology and Shokuiku, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8636 Japan.
Insights
Later achievement of standing supported in infancy is linked to lower physical activity in childhood. Adiposity does not appear to be a key factor in this association, suggesting other mechanisms may be involved.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Motor Development
- Physical Activity Research
Background:
- Delayed gross motor milestone achievement in infancy has been associated with later physical inactivity.
- Understanding the relationship between early motor development and childhood physical activity is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between the ages of achieving six gross motor milestones and subsequent childhood physical activity levels.
- To determine if adiposity mediates the relationship between gross motor milestone achievement and physical activity in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 211 first-grade children (aged 6-7 years) in Japan.
- Data on gross motor milestones (holding head up, sitting, crawling, standing supported, walking supported, independent walking) collected from Maternal and Child Health Handbooks.
- Adiposity assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (body fat percentage); physical activity measured using accelerometers (moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity - MVPA).
Main Results:
- Later achievement of standing supported was negatively associated with MVPA.
- Crawling, standing supported, and walking supported achievement ages were positively associated with adiposity.
- The association between standing supported achievement and MVPA remained significant even after accounting for adiposity, suggesting no mediation by body fat percentage.
Conclusions:
- Infants achieving the standing supported milestone later in development tend to exhibit lower levels of physical activity in early school years.
- Adiposity does not appear to be a significant mediator in the relationship between delayed standing supported achievement and reduced childhood physical activity.
Objectives:
Later achievement of standing and walking in infancy predicts childhood physical inactivity. This study aimed to examine associations between ages of achieving six gross motor milestones and childhood physical activity, and whether these associations were mediated by adiposity.
Design:
A retrospective analysis of a subset from a cohort study.
Methods:
Data were available for 211 first-grade primary school children (aged 6-7 years) in the Kanto region, Japan. Information on ages of achieving holding head up, sitting, crawling, standing supported, walking supported, and independent walking were obtained from parental records in the Maternal and Child Health Handbooks. Adiposity was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and expressed as body fat percentage. Current gross motor skills were assessed by the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd edition. Physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer and defined as time involved in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA).
Results:
Multiple regression analyses revealed that the age of achieving standing supported was negatively associated with MVPA (p = .021), while ages of achieving crawling (p = .010), standing supported (p = .002), and walking supported (p = .033) were positively associated with adiposity, after adjusting for potential confounders including current gross motor skills. When adiposity was introduced as a covariate, the age of achieving standing supported was still associated with MVPA (p = .048), and the indirect effect of achievement of standing supported on MVPA was not significant.
Conclusions:
Infants who achieve standing supported at a later age are less likely to be active during early school age, and adiposity may not mediate this association.
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