Background:Gross motor skills are postulated to have a bidirectional relationship with physical activity(PA);however,no study has tested this relationship before and after a summer break.The purpose of this study was ...Background:Gross motor skills are postulated to have a bidirectional relationship with physical activity(PA);however,no study has tested this relationship before and after a summer break.The purpose of this study was to examine the bidirectional relationships between school PA and gross motor skills in children before and after a summer break.Methods:Participants were a sample of 440 children recruited from 3 low-income schools(age=8.9±1.2 years,mean±SD).PA was assessed as average school-day step counts using Yamax DigiWalker pedometers(Yamasa Tokei Keiki,Tokyo,Japan)worn for 5 consecutive school days.Gross motor skills were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development,3 rd edition.Data were collected at 2 timepoints:at the end of spring semester(T1)and at the beginning of the subsequent fall semester(T2).An age-and body mass index-adjusted cross-lagged model was employed to relate T1 school step counts with T2 gross motor skills and T1 gross motor skills with T2 school step counts.Results:T1 gross motor skills significantly predicted T2 school step counts(β=0.24,95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.08-0.40,p=0.003);however,Tl school step counts did not predict T2 gross motor skills(β=0.04,95%CI:-0.06 to 0.14,p=0.445).The model explained 35.4%and 15.9%of the variances of T2 gross motor skills and T2 school step counts,respectively.Additional analyses indicated that these relationships were driven primarily by ball skills.Conclusion:The relationship between gross motor skills and school PA was not bidirectional;however,higher gross motor skills,specifically ball skills,predicted higher school PA after a 3-month summer break.展开更多
Although the benefits of physical activity are established across all age groups,researchers have recently noted that there is uncertainty as to which correlates and determinants of physical activity contribute to wel...Although the benefits of physical activity are established across all age groups,researchers have recently noted that there is uncertainty as to which correlates and determinants of physical activity contribute to well-informed interventions and policies,particularly for the time frame of early childhood.The following narrative review highlights salient factors related to physical activity during early childhood,particularly in the United States,with respect to a socioecological framework.Discussion of factors at the individual(demographic,genetic),interpersonal(family support and perceptions of competence),organizational(e.g.,preschool attended,preschool quality,teacher characteristics),community(availability,use,and perceptions of play spaces),and policy levels is included.While researchers often work within a public health framework that focuses on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity,or total(light-to-vigorous)physical activity,this may not fully align with how young children move.The importance of structured and unstructured play,risky play,and nature-based play are highlighted.Implications for basic and applied scientists,clinicians,and practitioners are addressed.Suggestions for future work include consideration of the context of physical activity,associations with other health behaviors,and further examination of the interpersonal and community level factors.展开更多
基金supported by a Physical Education Program Grant (Grand No.S215F140118) from the U.S.Department of Education
文摘Background:Gross motor skills are postulated to have a bidirectional relationship with physical activity(PA);however,no study has tested this relationship before and after a summer break.The purpose of this study was to examine the bidirectional relationships between school PA and gross motor skills in children before and after a summer break.Methods:Participants were a sample of 440 children recruited from 3 low-income schools(age=8.9±1.2 years,mean±SD).PA was assessed as average school-day step counts using Yamax DigiWalker pedometers(Yamasa Tokei Keiki,Tokyo,Japan)worn for 5 consecutive school days.Gross motor skills were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development,3 rd edition.Data were collected at 2 timepoints:at the end of spring semester(T1)and at the beginning of the subsequent fall semester(T2).An age-and body mass index-adjusted cross-lagged model was employed to relate T1 school step counts with T2 gross motor skills and T1 gross motor skills with T2 school step counts.Results:T1 gross motor skills significantly predicted T2 school step counts(β=0.24,95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.08-0.40,p=0.003);however,Tl school step counts did not predict T2 gross motor skills(β=0.04,95%CI:-0.06 to 0.14,p=0.445).The model explained 35.4%and 15.9%of the variances of T2 gross motor skills and T2 school step counts,respectively.Additional analyses indicated that these relationships were driven primarily by ball skills.Conclusion:The relationship between gross motor skills and school PA was not bidirectional;however,higher gross motor skills,specifically ball skills,predicted higher school PA after a 3-month summer break.
文摘Although the benefits of physical activity are established across all age groups,researchers have recently noted that there is uncertainty as to which correlates and determinants of physical activity contribute to well-informed interventions and policies,particularly for the time frame of early childhood.The following narrative review highlights salient factors related to physical activity during early childhood,particularly in the United States,with respect to a socioecological framework.Discussion of factors at the individual(demographic,genetic),interpersonal(family support and perceptions of competence),organizational(e.g.,preschool attended,preschool quality,teacher characteristics),community(availability,use,and perceptions of play spaces),and policy levels is included.While researchers often work within a public health framework that focuses on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity,or total(light-to-vigorous)physical activity,this may not fully align with how young children move.The importance of structured and unstructured play,risky play,and nature-based play are highlighted.Implications for basic and applied scientists,clinicians,and practitioners are addressed.Suggestions for future work include consideration of the context of physical activity,associations with other health behaviors,and further examination of the interpersonal and community level factors.
