Original articleChildhood Motor Skill Proficiency as a Predictor of Adolescent Physical Activity
Section snippets
Sample selection
In 2000, 1045 children from 18 randomly selected and stratified primary (elementary) schools in an area comprising 24,555 sq kilometers in New South Wales, Australia, had their proficiency in a battery of motor skills assessed for a school-based physical activity intervention [18]. The initial mean age of the sample was 10.1 (range = 7.9–11.9 years). Of these students, 1021 had first and last initials noted on their motor skill assessments. In 2006/07, the list of original study participants
Sample
Slightly more than half the sample were female (52.2%, n = 144/276). Most were in grade 10 in 2006/07 (57.8%, n = 159/275). The mean age at follow-up was 16.4 (range = 14.2 to 18.3 years). All but one spoke English at home and 7.0% of the sample identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (n = 19/271). Using home postcode of residence as a proxy for socioeconomic advantage/disadvantage as defined in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Index of Disadvantage, nearly the entire sample was
Discussion
This is one of few studies to longitudinally examine the relationship between childhood motor skill proficiency and adolescent physical activity. We found that fundamental motor skill proficiency in elementary school, particularly object control proficiency, predicted adolescent physical activity behavior. In particular, childhood object control proficiency predicted subsequent time spent in both moderate-to-vigorous activity and organized activity. Also, childhood object control proficiency
Conclusions
This study found that skill proficiency developed in primary school years significantly impacts on later physical activity. Object control skills, rather than locomotor, appear to be more crucial to total activity time, activity of a higher intensity and also to type of activity undertaken in adolescence. Further research would be beneficial to help determine the relative importance of object control and locomotor proficiency to physical activity. Study strengths include a good sample size and
Acknowledgments
Lisa Barnett contributed to study design, study coordination, analysis, and writing. Eric van Beurden contributed to study design, analysis, and writing. Philip Morgan contributed to study design, analysis, and writing. Lyndon Brooks contributed to analysis and writing. John Beard contributed to study design, analysis, and writing. The study was funded by NSW Health, Australia, and the University of Sydney, Department of Rural Health (Northern Rivers), Australia. Thanks to Dr Michael Booth for
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