Fundamental Movement Skills and Physical Activity of 3-4-Year-Old Children within Early Childhood Centers in New Zealand
Loading...
Date
2021-08-27
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
Rights
CC BY 4.0
Abstract
We sought to describe and explore relationships between fundamental movement skills (FMS) and level of physical activity (PA; light-, medium-, vigorous, and kCal/hour) in preschool children, aged 3-4-years-old, across four early childhood education (ECE) settings. Children's FMS were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2; n = 81) and PA via accelerometers (S = 53). Eighty-four children participated, with 50 in both assessments. The TGMD-2 showed as the children got older, their locomotor skills (p < 0.001, r = 0.512) and object control motor skills (p < 0.001, r = 0.383) improved. Accelerometry showed children were primarily inactive at ECE (78.3% of the time). There were significant correlations between kCal/hour and light (p < 0.001, r = -0.688), moderate (p < 0.001, r = 0.599) and vigorous (p < 0.001, rs = 0.707) activity, and between gross motor quotient and locomotor (p < 0.001, r = 0.798) and object control (p < 0.001, r = 0.367) skills. No correlation was observed between gross motor quotient and kCal/hour. To conclude, children in this cohort were primarily inactive during ECE center hours. Moreover, gross motor quotient was significantly correlated to locomotor and object control skills.
Description
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors.
Keywords
TGMD-2, Test of Gross Motor Development, accelerometry, motor skills, physical education, preschool, wellbeing
Citation
Ali A, McLachlan C, McLaughlin T, Mugridge O, Conlon C, Mumme K, Knightbridge-Eager T. (2021). Fundamental Movement Skills and Physical Activity of 3-4-Year-Old Children within Early Childhood Centers in New Zealand.. Children (Basel). 8. 9. (pp. 742-).