The Qualitative Fundamental Motor Performance Characteristics of Preadolescent Obese Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4247.2016.05.04.2Keywords:
Kinesiology, obesity, pedagogy, Body Mass Index, BMI, assessment, health, physical education, motor performance, motor skills.Abstract
This study examined the qualitative motor performance characteristics of 35 preadolescent obese children (18 female, 17 male) in the Midwest of the United States. An available sample of children ages six to 13 were classified as obese based on a BMI score of 30 or greater. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2)was used to assess all subjects. This test measures the qualitative motor ability of children using two subtest categories of fundamental motor skills including locomotors (running, hopping, skipping, jumping, leaping and galloping) as well as object control skills (throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing a ball, rolling a ball and striking). All participants received a raw score, standardized score, sum of standards and gross motor quotient score. All scores were compared to national norms established by the authors of the TGMD-2. The results indicated that the group norms of the obese children were significantly below the mean scores of the national average for all measures including locomotor standard scores (M=3.80, SD=2.44, p<0.001) and object-control standard scores(M=4.43, SD=2.89, p<0.001)and the gross motor development quotient (M=64.69, SD=15.05, p<0.001).The researchers concluded that the significantly lower motor performance scores of obese children may lead this population to participate less in health enhancing movement opportunities as they grow into adolescence and adulthood. The authors noted that the TGMD-2 is designed for children ages 3-10 and has a significant ceiling effect for older children. A younger population may reveal more robust conclusions in further study. Additionally, further study is recommended to determine whether programs aimed at lowering obesity levels in children can have an impact on qualitative fundamental motor skill performance
References
Ulrich, DA, The test of gross motor development, TGMD-2. Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed 2000.
Center for Disease Control Website, [cited 2015 Nov 22] Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/ childhood.html
Center for Disease Control Website, [cited 2015 Nov 22] Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html.
Schwimmer JB, Burwinkle TM, Varni JW. Health related quality of life of severely obese children and adolescents. JAMA 2003; 289: 1813-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.289.14.1813
Morrison KM. The inter-relationships among physical activity, motor performance and perceived athletic competence in normal and overweight/obese children (Doctoral dissertation) 2015. Retrieved from Proquest.
Scammon RE. The measurement of the body in childhood. In The measurement of man, edited by J.A. Harris et al. (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press) 1930; 193.
Seefeldt V, Haubenstricker J. Developmental Sequences of Fundamental Motor Skills, Unpublished research, Michigan State University 1976
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Policy for Journals/Articles with Open Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work
Policy for Journals / Manuscript with Paid Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Publisher retain copyright .
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work .