Elvira Nikšić1, Nedžad Prazina1, Almir Kalabušić2, Amela Bajrektarević3, Faris Rasidagic4
1University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Education, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2Primary School “Fatima Gunić,” Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
3Fitness Center “Pro-Fit Health,” Center for Health, Sports Performance and Rehabilitation, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
4University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Motor Abilities and Weight Status in Schoolchildren
Sport Mont 2026, 24(3), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/smj.261011
Abstract
The modern sedentary lifestyle negatively affects children’s physical and mental health, contributing to an increased prevalence of overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to determine differences in motor performance and body composition indicators between fourth- and fifth-grade elementary school students. The research was conducted on a sample of N=628 students (N=314 fourth-grade; N=314 fifth-grade). The results of the t-test showed significant differences in favor of fifth-grade students in the following tests: Flamingo test (IV: 21.29±0.03; V: 30.32±0.05; p<0.001), hand tapping (IV: 20.15±0.03; V: 15.09±0.01; p=0.010), sit-and-reach (IV: 5.48±7.95; V: 11.20±12.17; p<0.001), standing long jump (IV: 134.18±26.40; V: 130.03±23.36; p=0.010), handgrip strength (IV: 15.77±4.71; V: 17.23±4.88; p<0.001), and 10×5 m shuttle run (p<0.001). No significant differences were found in sit-ups (p=0.200) and bent-arm hang (p=0.650). Significant differences in body composition indicators were found in body mass index (BMI) (p<0.001), basal metabolic rate (BMR) (p<0.001), and triceps skinfold thickness (p=0.040), while no significant differences were observed in sub- scapular skinfold, suprailiac skinfold, and body fat percentage. The results indicate better motor performance and more favorable body composition indicators in fifth-grade students.
Keywords
physical fitness, anthropometric indicators, body composition, skinfold thickness, basal metabolic rate
View full article
(PDF – 186KB)
References
Aaltonen, S., Latvala, A., Rose, R. J., Pulkkinen, L., Kujala, U. M., Kaprio, J. & Silventoinen, K. (2015). Motor development and physical activity: A longitudinal discordant twin-pair study. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 47(10), 2111–2118. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000650
Adolph, K. E., & Hoch, J. E. (2020). The importance of motor skills for development. Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop Series, 95, 136–144. https://doi.org/10.1159/000511511
Barnett, L. M., Beurden, E., Morgan, P. J., Brooks, L. O., & Beard, J. R. (2008). Childhood motor skill competence as a predictor of adolescent physical activity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44(3), 252–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.07.004 PMID: 19237111
Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., … Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451–1462. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
Cattuzzo, M. T., Dos Santos Henrique, R., Ré, A. H., de Oliveira, I. S., Melo, B. M., de Sousa Moura, M., … Stodden, D. (2016). Motor competence and health related physical fitness in youth: A systematic review. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19(2), 123–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2014.12.004
Coppens, E., Bardid, F., Deconinck, F. J. A., Haerens, L., Stodden, D., & Lenoir, M. (2024). Motor competence in relation to weight status and age in schoolchildren. Children, 11(7), 814. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070814
D’Hondt, E., Deforche, B., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Lenoir, M. (2011). Relationship between motor skill and body mass index in 5- to 10-year-old children. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 28(1), 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.28.1.21
D’Hondt, E., Deforche, B., Gentier, I., Verstuyf, J., Vaeyens, R., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Lenoir, M. (2013). A longitudinal analysis of gross motor coordination in overweight and obese children versus normal-weight peers. International Journal of Obesity, 37(1), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2012.55
Den Uil, M., Coppens, E., Bardid, F., Deconinck, F. J. A., Haerens, L., Lenoir, M., & De Martelaer, K. (2024). Longitudinal development of motor competence in early and middle childhood. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(2), 190. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020190
Estevan, I., Barnett, L. M., & Rodrigues, L. P. (2022). Motor competence and physical activity in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 52(10), 2293–2310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01672-9
Hulteen, R. M., Barnett, L. M., True, L., Lander, N. J., Del Pozo Cruz, B., & Lonsdale, C. (2023). Longitudinal associations between motor competence, physical activity, and health-related outcomes in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 53(2), 357–376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01769-1
Krebs, N. F., Himes, J. H., & Jacobson, D. (2007). Assessment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. Pediatrics, 113(4), S193–S228.
Kuczmarski, R., Kuczmarski, M. F., & Roche, A. F. (2002). 2000 CDC growth charts: Background for clinical application. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 17(2), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1097/00008486-200203000-00006
Kumar, M. D., & Kelly, A. S. (2017). Review of childhood obesity: From epidemiology, etiology, and comorbidities to clinical assessment and treatment. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(2), 251–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.017
Lopes, V. P., Rodrigues, L. P., Maia, J. A. R., & Malina, R. M. (2012). Motor coordination as predictor of physical activity in childhood. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 22(5), 663–669. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01250.x
Marfell-Jones, M., Olds, T., Stewart, A., & Carter, L. (2006). International standards for anthropometric assessment. International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK).
Robinson, L. E., Stodden, D. F., Barnett, L. M., Lopes, V. P., Logan, S. W., Rodrigues, L. P., & D'Hondt, E. (2015). Motor Competence and its Effect on Positive Developmental Trajectories of Health. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(9), 1273–1284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0351-6
Stodden, D. F., Goodway, J. D., Langendorfer, S. J., Roberton, M. A., Rudisill, M. E., Garcia, C., & Garcia, L. E. (2008). A Developmental Perspective on the Role of Motor Skill Competence in Physical Activity: An Emergent Relationship. Quest, 60(2), 290–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2008.10483582
Šiška, P., Zapletalová, L., Adamčák, Š., & Nemec, M. (2024). Grade-level differences in basic motor competencies among primary school children. European Physical Education Review, 30(1), 45–60.
Wälti, M., Sallen, J., Adamakis, M., Ennigkeit, F., Gerlach, E., Heim, C., ... Herrmann, C. (2022). Basic Motor Competencies of 6- to 8-Year-Old Primary School Children in 10 European Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study on Associations With Age, Sex, Body Mass Index, and Physical Activity. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 804753. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.804753
World Obesity Federation & World Health Organization. (2018). Taking action on the childhood obesity report. World Health Organization. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274792/WHO-NMH-PND-ECHO18.1-eng.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization. (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. World Health Organization.