The purpose of this study was to investigate the tracking of gross motor coordination (GMC) and to profile children at 6 years of age who consistently showed higher stability patterns in different levels of GMC. The participants were 245 children (123 boys and 122 girls) who were assessed longitudinally from 6 to 9 years of age. GMC was assessed using the Korperkoordinationtest fur Kinder (KTK) test battery. Anthropometry, physical activity, and health- and performance-related physical fitness were also measured. Cohen's kappa (κ) was used to estimate tracking. Tracking was poor for all GMC tests (0.17 ≤ κ ≤ 0.38) and moderate for the GMC motor quotient (MQ) in both boys and girls (0.44 ≤ κ ≤ 0.45). Instability at the extremes was low in GMC tests and negligible for MQ. Children who consistently showed high GMC levels during the 4 years of follow-up were lighter, had lower body mass index and subcutaneous fat, and showed higher scores in physical fitness tests at 6 years of age than those who consistently had low GMC levels. In conclusion, GMC showed low-to-moderate tracking over time in childhood. However, children who consistently demonstrated high GMC levels over time had healthier profiles at 6 years of age.

This study aimed to provide height, body mass, BMI and waist circumference (WC) growth centile charts for school-children, aged 4–17 years, from central Peru, and to compare Peruvian data with North-American and Argentinean references. The sample consisted of 8753 children and adolescents (4130 boys and 4623 girls) aged 4 to 17 years, from four Peruvian cities: Barranco, La Merced, San Ramón and Junín. Height, body mass and WC were measured according to standardized techniques. Centile curves for height, body mass, BMI and WC were obtained separately for boys and girls using the LMS method. Student t-tests were used to compare mean values. Overall boys have higher median heights than girls, and the 50th percentile for body mass increases curvilinearly from 4 years of age onwards. In boys, the BMI and WC 50th percentiles increase linearly and in girls, the increase presents a curvilinear pattern. Peruvian children are shorter, lighter and have higher BMI than their counterparts in the U.S. and Argentina; in contrast, age and sex-specific WC values are lower. Height, body mass and WC of Peruvian children increased with age and variability was higher at older ages. The growth patterns for height, body mass, BMI and WC among Peruvian children were similar to those observed in North-American and Argentinean peers.

Objetivos. Establecer cartas percentílicas y valores de referencia estratificada por edad y sexo de los niveles de aptitud física (AF) en niños y adolescentes de la región central del Perú. Materiales y métodos. El tamaño de la muestra comprendió a 7843 escolares (4155 mujeres y 3688 varones) entre los seis y los diecisiete años de edad. Los niveles de aptitud física fueron evaluados mediante el uso de seis pruebas motoras provenientes de las baterías EUROFIT, FITNESSGRAM y AAPHERD. Las cartas percentílicas fueron construidas por separado para cada sexo, utilizando el método matemático LMS implementado en el programa LMSchartmaker. Resultados. Se verifica valores superiores de AF en los varones, a excepción de la prueba de flexibilidad; la AF incrementa con la edad. Conclusiones. Existe variabilidad interindividual en ambos sexos. Los valores de referencia específicos por edad y sexo pueden utilizarse para la evaluación e interpretación de los niveles de AF de niños y adolescentes de la región central del Perú. Estos hallazgos pueden ayudar en la evaluación de programas de educación física en las escuelas.Palabras clave: Rendimiento deportivo; Estructura corporal; Actividad motora; Niño; Adolescente (fuente: DeCS BIREME). EVALUATION OF PHYSICAL FITNESS LEVELS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: ESTABLISHING PERCENTILE CHARTS FOR THE CENTRAL REGION OF PERU ABSTRACTObjectives. Construct percentile charts and physical fitness (PF) reference values stratified by age and sex of children and adolescents from Peru's central region. Materials and methods. The sample was comprised of 7,843 subjects (4,155 females and 3,688 males) between the ages of 6 to 17 years old. Physical fitness was assessed using six tests developed by EUROFIT, FITNESSGRAM and AAPHERD. Percentile charts were developed separately for males and females using the LMS method calculated with LMSchartmaker software. Results. Males showed higher PF values with the exception of flexibility; a clear increase in PF with increasing age was verified. Conclusions. Inter-individual variability in both sexes is substantial. Charts and specific reference values by age and sex may be used for the assessment and interpretation of children's and adolescents' PF levels in Peru's central region. These findings may be of help to educators, public health professionals, parents, and policy-makers when assessing schools' physical education programs. Key words: Athletic performance; Somatotypes; Motor activity; Child; Adolescent (source: MeSH NLM). INTRODUCCIóNA finales de la década de 1970 emerge y se desarrolla el concepto de aptitud física orientada a la salud, asumiendo como propósito principal la discusión de aspectos esenciales del bienestar del individuo por encima del objetivo tradicional orientado al rendimiento deportivo (1,2) . El concepto de aptitud física (AF) se encuentra aún en pleno desarrollo, siendo considerada como una medida integrada de funciones y estructuras corporales (morfológica, muscular, motora, cardiorrespiratoria y metabólica) (3) que pueden varia...

CoordEnação motora: Estudo dE TRACKING Em Crianças dos 6 aos 10 anos da rEgião autÔnoma dos açorEs, portugal MOTOR COORDINATION: STUDYING TRACKING IN 6 TO 10-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN IN THE AZORES AUTONOMOUS REGION, PORTUGAL rEsumo O objetivo do estudo foi caracterizar o desenvolvimento coordenativo em crianças açorianas dos 6 aos 10 anos em função do sexo e estimar a estabilidade da mudança intra-individual nas diferenças inter-individuais ao longo dos quatro anos. A amostra de 285 crianças (143 meninos e 142 meninas) é proveniente do estudo longitudinal-misto da Região Autônoma dos Açores. A coordenação motora foi determinada com a bateria de testes KTK que compreende 4 provas: Equilíbrio à retaguarda, Saltos laterais, Saltos monopedais e Transposição lateral. As estatísticas descritivas básicas, a ANOVA II, assim como as auto-correlações foram calculados no SPSS 15. Recorremos ao γ de Foulkes e Davies para verifi car a quantidade de crianças que mantêm a mesma posição relativa. Este cálculo foi realizado no software LDA. As medidas descritivas básicas revelaram um incremento das médias, em ambos os sexos, ao longo da idade. A ANOVA II mostrou diferenças signifi cativas em todos os testes ao longo dos quatro anos e, somente no teste Equilíbrio à Retaguarda foi encontrada uma interação signifi cativa entre tempo e sexo. A correlação de Pearson apresentou uma estabilidade moderada. No teste Equilíbrio à Retaguarda, em ambos os sexos, e Saltos Monopedais nos meninos não se verifi cou nenhum tracking no desempenho o que revela uma forte heterogeneidade no desenvolvimento da Coordenação Motora ao longo dos quatro anos. Tais resultados reafi rmam o direito à diferença nos níveis de coordenação e apelam para o entendimento do seu signifi cado em termos pedagógicos. palavras-chave: Coordenação; Longitudinal; Estabilidade; Tracking; Crianças. aBstraCtThe aims of the present study were to describe the development of motor coordination of children from the Azores aged 6 to 10 years of age of both genders; and to estimate the stability of intra-individual changes in inter-individual differences over 4 years. The sample comprised 285 children (143 boys and 142 girls) from the mixed-longitudinal study of the Azores Autonomous Region. Motor coordination was assessed with the KTK test battery which comprises 4 tests: Backward balance, Jumping sideways, Hopping on one leg and Shifting platforms. Basic descriptive statistics, ANOVA II, and auto-correlations were calculated in SPSS 15. We used the γ of Foulkes and Davies to verify the proportion of children who maintained the same relative position. This calculation was performed using the software LDA. We found increases in mean values, in both genders, across the ages. ANOVA II showed signifi cant differences in all tests over the 4 years, and a signifi cant interaction between time and sex was only observed for the Backward balance. Auto-correlations presented moderate stability. Neither gender exhibited tracking in their performance in the Backward balance and the boys failed to do ...