Young hispanic and non-hispanic children's fundamental motor competence and physical activity behaviors
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2019
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between fundamental motor skills (FMS; including locomotor and object-control skills), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary behavior among young Hispanic and non-Hispanic children. Using the prospective research design spanning one academic school year, we recruited 671 children (6.96 ± 1.6 years, 46% girls) from four primary schools in North Texas, 300 of whom were Hispanic and 371 non-Hispanic children, with 90% of the Hispanic and 74% of the non-Hispanic children from low-income families. All participants completed the PE Metrics™ FMS assessment and wore Actical accelerometers. Hispanic children demonstrated a lower level of MVPA on school days than their non-Hispanic peers. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, both locomotor and object-control skills significantly predicted school-based MVPA for the non-Hispanic groups, while only object-control skills significantly predicted MVPA for the Hispanic group. For both ethnic groups, locomotor skills significantly predicted school-based sedentary behavior. The findings shed light on future motor competence-based interventions for physical activity promotion and obesity prevention among young Hispanic as well as non-Hispanic children.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Journal of Motor Learning and Development
First Page
180
Last Page
193
Recommended Citation
Gu, X., Chen, S., & Zhang, X. (2019). Young hispanic and non-hispanic children's fundamental motor competence and physical activity behaviors. Journal of Motor Learning and Development, 7 (2), 180-193. https://doi.org/10.1123/jmld.2018-0003