Clumsy kids can be just as aerobically fit as their peers with better motor skills, a new study from Finland shows. The findings are based on research conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of Jyväskylä University and the Biomedicine Institute of the University of Eastern Finland, and published in Translational Sports Medicine.
Aerobic fitness will not go hand in hand with motor skills
It is generally believed that children have good motor skills, although low aerobic fitness is thought to be a link between poor motor skills and obesity. This view is based on studies that their methods do not differentiate between aerobic fitness functions and body fat content as risk factors for poor motor skills and obesity.
Our study clearly showed that aerobic fitness is not linked to motor skills when the body is properly cared for. “
Eero Haapala, Ph.D., Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Jyväskylä University
“Also, there was no strong association between aerobic fitness with overweight or obesity. Therefore, the role of poor aerobic fitness as a risk factor for poor motor skills and excess body weight appears to have been a strong contributor.”
The development of motor skills can be supported
This study did not look at the role of exercise in motor skills development, but earlier studies have shown that a range of exercise, varying in motor and intensity challenges, contributes to the development of motor skills, no matter how healthy are aerobic and body fat. content. Higher levels of physical activity and less sedentary behavior can also protect against the development of excess weight.
“The main message of our study is that even a child who is unfit can be motor-able and that the heart of a clumsy child can be as fit as his or her more skilled sibling,” Haapala says. therefore, high levels of mixed physical activity and reduced behavior are central to the development of motor skills and the prevention of overweight from childhood. “
The study examined the links between aerobic fitness, body fat content, and motor skills in 332 children ages 7 to 11 years. Aerobic fitness was measured with the largest bicycle ergometer test and body composition with bioimpedance and DXA devices. Motor skills were measured by common methods.
Source:
University of Jyväskylä
Magazine Reference:
Haapala, EA, et al. (2020) Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, motor ability, and adiposity in children. Translational Sports Medicine. doi.org/10.1002/tsm2.198.