321435_Print.indd

(やまだぃちぅ) #1

Studies spanning early (Fisher et al. 2005 ; Williams et al. 2008 ) and later


(Wrotniak et al. 2006 ; Lopes et al. 2011 ) childhood and adolescence (Schmücker


et al. 1984 ; Okely et al. 2001 ) highlight relationships between proficiency in


movement skills and physical activity. Although correlations tend to be moderate at


best and vary with age, relationships between skill and activity were more apparent


at the extremes of skill; i.e., children more proficient in movement skills (highest


quartile) tend to spend proportionally more time in MVPA compared to children


with movement skill scores in the other quartiles (Fisher et al. 2005 ; Wrotniak et al.


2006 ). Motor proficiency is also negatively correlated with percentage of ac-


celerometry time spent in sedentary pursuits among children 8–10 years (Wrotniak


et al. 2006 ).


In a short-term longitudinal study, children in the highest tertile of motor


coordination at 6 years of age had a higher level of physical activity


(interview-assisted questionnaire) which changed negligibly from 6 to 9 years,


whereas children in the middle and lowest tertiles of coordination at 6 years had a


lower level of activity which declined linearly with age from 6 to 9 years of age


(Lopes et al. 2011 ). The results highlight the potential importance of early motor


coordination to influence subsequent physical activity; i.e., better motor coordina-


tion at 6 years may attenuate the decline in activity, whereas less developed motor


coordination at 6 years may amplify the decline in physical activity across
childhood.


Among boys and girls in grades 8 (mean age 13.3 years) and 10 (mean age


15.3 years), a movement proficiency score based on six movement patterns (run,


vertical jump, catch, kick, overhand throw, forehand strike) was related to time


spent in organized physical activity more so in girls than in boys. On the other hand,


movement proficiency was not related to non-organized physical activity in both


sexes (Okely et al. 2001 ).


The preceding studies indicate a positive relationship between movement pro-


ficiency and physical activity. Nevertheless, the variance in physical activity


accounted for by motor skill is relatively small (Fisher et al. 2005 ; Okely et al.


2001 ). By inference, there is a need to include other factors which may influence


motor proficiency and physical activity, e.g., quality of preschool programs and


physical education, specific skill instruction, peer interactions, biological matura-


tion, and more specific indicators of body composition instead of the BMI, among


others.


Physical Activity and Physical Fitness


Given the long history of interest in relationships between physical activity and


physicalfitness, it was surprising that indicators offitness were not considered


among correlates of PA. Correlations between cardiorespiratoryfitness (distance


run) and physical activity (parental and teacher questionnaires) among children 6–
9 years (Pate et al. 1990 ) and between indicators of health-related physicalfitness


86 R.M. Malina et al.

Free download pdf