Physical fitness and health indices in children, adolescents and adults with high or low motor competence

Abstract

The overall purpose of the study was to examine if individuals with low motor competence achieve age-adequate fitness and health. A group of 149 children, adolescents, and adults with low or high motor competence participated in motor, fitness, and health assessments. Individuals with low motor competence did not differ on their basic physiological health parameters, but they had less optimal levels of overall health and fitness indices than those with high motor competence. As a function of age, musculoskeletal fitness was significantly compromised for the low motor competence group. The metabolic indices suggested that the low motor competence group had significantly higher BMI’s compared to the high motor competence group. Motor skills and static balance were significant predictors of the BMI. Exercise intensity differed between children in the low and high motor competence group. The findings suggest that individuals with low motor competence have compromised health-related fitness. In order to discriminate between individuals with high and low motor competence, fitness assessment should include at least back extension, curl ups, and sit and reach. In addition, health-related fitness measurements such as BMI, waist circumference, blood lipid profile and bone mineral density are also recommended.

Introduction

Most children develop and enhance their fitness levels through their daily activities while they perform fundamental movement skills such as running, skipping, climbing, and rolling (Saakslahti et al., 1999). Specific movement skills are needed in the development of fitness components such as strength, power, or endurance. It is common to assume that health related physical fitness is plausible for all, despite their level of motor skills. Research on children with low motor competence, sometimes called Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) (APA, DSM-IV, 1994),¹ however, suggests that they have a difficult time learning motor skills. Subsequently they might not be physically active enough to acquire health benefits or to develop age-appropriate physical fitness levels (Hands & Larkin, 2002). Children also need to be physically active at a young age and have positive experiences in order to develop life long adherence to exercise (Tammelin, 2005).

Recent findings suggest that children with low motor competence are less physically active, and also at increased risk for obesity (Cairney et al., 2005, Tsiotra et al., 2006), coronary vascular disease (Faught, Hay, Cairney, & Flouris, 2005), and compromised physical fitness levels, in particular cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility (Hands & Larkin, 2006), and body composition (Hands & Larkin, 2006; Schott, Alof, Hultsch, & Meermann, 2007). Hands and Larkin (2002) suggest that the suboptimal fitness findings might be explained by these children’s inefficient motor control and mechanical inefficiency. If the above mentioned components of health related fitness are not attainable for individuals with low motor competence, then 5–10% of the population (prevalence of DCD based on DSM-IV, 1994 and World Health Organisation, 1992) is less able to prevent chronic disease and reap health benefits through physical fitness over a life time (Pate, Baranowski, Dowda, & Trost, 1996).

Long-term consequences of low motor competence can include poor perceived physical competence (Cantell, Smyth, & Ahonen, 2003), reduced motivation to participate in physical activity, less contact with age peers and consequently fewer opportunities to develop proficient motor skills and adequate fitness levels (Causgrove Dunn & Watkinson, 1994). These experiences can lead to ‘‘a negative involvement cycle’’ (Keogh, Griffin, & Spector, 1981) which often includes discomfort, pain, and avoidance of physical activity. This cycle may, in turn, lead to hypoactivity, i.e., choosing activities that are less physical and short-term (Bouffard, Watkinson, Thompson, Causgrove Dunn, & Romanow, 1996).

Recently, low motor competence and inability to perform many motor tasks have been identified in adults as well as children and adolescents. Cousins and Smyth, 2003, Cousins and Smyth, 2005 characterized motor performance in adults with low motor competence as slow and variable in their motor responses, especially in complex sequencing tasks, and as having problems in visual sequence recognition and performing two simultaneous tasks. Adults with low motor competence have been found to have negative experiences in physical activity and had developed strategies to avoid it (Fitzpatrick and Watkinson, 2003, Kirby et al., 2005).

In summary, low motor competence affects individuals throughout their lives and may exclude them from important activities of daily living (Cantell and Kooistra, 2002, Missiuna et al., 2001, Summers et al., 2007). To the best of our knowledge, there has been no research on physical activity and fitness across different age groups with low motor competence.

The focus of the current research was to determine if: (1) children, adolescents, and adults with high or low motor competence were different from each other in their fitness levels, (2) the three age groups with low motor competence had negative health related indices associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease, and whether this was gender or group dependent, and (3) current physical fitness measurements were suitable for individuals with low motor competence.