Association between fundamental motor skills and physical activity in the early years:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Physical activity(PA)in the early years is associated with a range of positive health outcomes.Fundamental motor skill(FMS)competence is associated with PA and is theorized to be driven by PA in the early years and vice versa in mid to late childhood.However,to date,no studies have meta-analyzed the association between PA and FMS in the early years.Methods:Six electronic databases were searched for articles published up to April 2019.Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included if they targeted children(ages 3-6 year)as the population of the study and assessed the association between objectively measured PA and FMS.Total FMS,total physical activity(TPA),and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity(MVPA)data were meta-analyzed using a random effects model.Results:We identified 24,815 titles and abstracts.In total,19 studies met the inclusion criteria,including 14 cross-sectional and 4 longitudinal studies,as well as 1 study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis.There was a significant but small positive association between FMS and MVPA(r=0.20,95%confidence interval(CI):0.13-0.26)and TPA(r=0.20,95%CI:0.12-0.28).Findings from longitudinal studies revealed that PA drives FMS in early childhood.Mediation was explored in 1 study,which found that perceived motor competence did not mediate the association between FMS and PA.Conclusion:Using a meta-analysis,this study is the first to show a positive association between FMS,MVPA,and TPA in the early years of childhood,suggesting that the association begins at an early age.Limited evidence from longitudinal studies supports the theory that PA drives FMS in the early years of childhood.More evidence is needed from large studies to track PA and FMS until mid to late childhood and to explore the mediators of this association.

Fundamental movement skills training to promote physical activity in children with and without disability： A pilot study

Background： A positive association between fundamental movement skills （FMS） and physical activity （PA） has been shown in previous research of children with and without disability. This pilot study explored a causal mechanism for such relationship, and hypothesized that when FMS proficiency is improved, enhanced PA uptake will be found in children with and without disability. It was further hypothesized that improving FMS proficiency will have a greater impact on children with disability than those without disability. Methods： Participants include typically developing （TD） children without disability and children with cerebral palsy （CP）, who were allocated to FMS training groups （CP-FMS n = 12, TD-FMS n = 13） and control groups （CP-C n = 12, TD-C n = 13）. Training groups practiced five FMS （run, jump, kick, throw, catch） in weekly 45-min sessions for 4 weeks. Control groups had their regular physiotherapy （CP） or physical education （TD） sessions. FMS were evaluated using process- and product-oriented measures, and PA was measured using accelerometers, before and after training. Results： It was verified that training groups gained improvements in FMS while control groups did not. No significant changes in weekday PA were found. Increased weekend moderate to vigorous physical activity （MVPA） was found in the CP-FMS group, while decreased weekend sedentary time was found in the CP-FMS and TD-FMS groups. The percentages of participants who exceeded the minimum detectable change （MDC9o） in MVPA and sedentary time were larger in children with CP than in children without disability. Conclusion： The findings suggest that improved FMS proficiency could potentially contribute to heightened PA and decreased sedentary time during weekends for children. Such effect of improved FMS proficiency on PA appears to be greater in those with physical disability than in those without disability. It is recommended that the findings of this pilot study should be further examined in future research.

Does playing a sports active video game improve object control skills of children with autism spectrum disorder?

Background: Active video games(AVGs) encourage whole body movements to interact or control the gaming system, allowing the opportunity for skill development. Children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD) show decreased fundamental movement skills in comparison with their typically developing(TD) peers and might benefit from this approach. This pilot study investigates whether playing sports AVGs can increase the actual and perceived object control(OC) skills of 11 children with ASD aged 6–10 years in comparison to 19 TD children of a similar age.Feasibility was a secondary aim.Methods: Actual(Test of Gross Motor Development) and perceived OC skills(Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children) were assessed before and after the intervention(6 × 45 min).Results: Actual skill scores were not improved in either group. The ASD group improved in perceived skill. All children completed the required dose and parents reported the intervention was feasible.Conclusion: The use of AVGs as a play-based intervention may not provide enough opportunity for children to perform the correct movement patterns to influence skill. However, play of such games may influence perceptions of skill ability in children with ASD, which could improve motivation to participate in physical activities.

The effects of a daily, 6-week exergaming curriculum on balance in fourth grade children

Balance is an essential component of movement and is critical in the ability to participate in physical activity. Developing an exergaming curriculum for schools has the potential to improve balance or postural stability in children. In this study, a purposely-built exergaming center in an elementary school was used to test fourth grade students with a specially designed exergaming curriculum oriented toward improving postural stability. The program was implemented over a 6-week period, 34 min per day, 4-5 days per week. Two control groups were used： （1） a physical education （PE） class geared toward agility, balance, and coordination （ABC） improvement, and （2） a typical PE curriculum class. Exergaming students improved their postural stability significantly over a 6-week period compared to those in the typical PE class. Improvements in postural stability were also evident in the ABC class. Postural stability in the girls was better than the boys in all pre- and post-intervention tests. This study demonstrates that exergaming is a practical resource in the PE class to improve postural stability.