Relationship between Fat Mass and Motor Coordination in Children and Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12873/454cossio-2Keywords:
Motor Competence, Lateral Jumping, Fat Mass, Waist CircumferenceAbstract
Introduction: The level of Motor Competence (MC) in children and adolescents has become a reliable predictor of healthy behaviors throughout life. A deficit in MC is associated with coordination difficulties and lower adherence to physical activity. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fat mass and motor coordination performance in children and adolescents.
Methods: A non-probabilistic sample of 103 participants (62.13% male) aged 10 to 14 years from a public school was evaluated using the lateral jumping task (LJ) from the Köperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK). Body mass, height, and waist circumference (WC) were also measured. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, Pearson-based correlations, t-test for independent samples and coefficient of determination (p=0.05) were applied.
Results: Significant differences were found between sexes in terms of fat mass (FM) and motor coordination (LJ), favoring boys (p=0.01). The coefficient of determination indicated a weak association in boys (R²=0.028) and a moderate one in girls (R²=0.124). WC showed a weak relationship in boys (R²=0.020) and a moderate relationship in girls (R²=0.133). Overall, FM and WC had a greater impact on girls than on boys.
Conclusion: An inverse relationship was found between fat mass and motor competence, with weak characteristics in boys and moderate in girls. These findings suggest that higher body fat levels may be associated with poorer motor performance, particularly in girls.
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