Even though clumsy children find it hard to perform as well in sports that require a lot of coordination, they are no less aerobically fit than their more agile peers.
This finding comes from a new study from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Eastern Finland. The general view is that children who have poor motor coordination tend to be overweight and have a low level of aerobic fitness – but this turns out not to be the case.
The study participants consisted of 332 children aged 7 to 11 years, with the study’s aim being to explore the association between aerobic fitness, body fat content, and motor skills. A maximum bicycle ergometer test was used to measure aerobic fitness and bioimpedance and DXA devices measured body composition. Common methods were used to gauge motor skills.
Eero Haapala, PhD, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, said: “Our study clearly demonstrated that aerobic fitness is not linked to motor skills when body composition is properly taken into account.”
She added: “Also, aerobic fitness was not strongly associated with overweight or obesity. Therefore, it seems that the role of poor aerobic fitness as a risk factor for poor motor skills and excess body weight has been strongly exaggerated.”
Earlier studies had shown that varied physical exercise can develop motor skills, regardless of body weight or aerobic fitness, and that less sedentary behaviour and more exercise protects against becoming overweight.
“The key message of our study is that even a child who is unfit can be motorically adept and the heart of a clumsier kid can be as fit as her or his more skilful peer,” Haapala concluded. “In addition, high levels of varied physical activity and reduced sedentary behaviour are central to the development of motor skills and the prevention of excess weight gain since childhood.”
Source: News-Medical.Net
Journal information: Haapala, EA, Gao, Y, Lintu, N, et al. Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, motor competence, and adiposity in children. Transl Sports Med. 2021; 4: 56– 64. https://doi.org/10.1002/tsm2.198
