Actual and Perceived Motor Competence in Relation to Body Mass Index in Primary School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Unhealthy-weight status may represent a precursor of poor actual (AMC) (i.e., process- and product-oriented) and perceived (PMC) motor competence. AMC and PMC represent key elements favoring long-term commitment in sports and day-to-day life physical activity. In fact, the development of AMC and PMC during the primary school years could help to counteract weight-related negative effects (i.e., overweight or obesity) that are responsible for sedentary or unhealthy behavior across the life span. Therefore, this review aimed to provide a synopsis of the current research investigating the relation of AMC and PMC with weight status and in the context of potential gender differences. Systematic research in five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus) was conducted from April 2021 to May 2021 in compliance with PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if they involved obese or overweight youth (6–10 years) with no physical or cognitive impairment and used a longitudinal or a cross-sectional assessment of motor competence and perceived motor competence outcomes. After the selection process and after duplicates were removed, the final sample included 27 studies. Most of the studies reported that AMC and PMC are negatively associated with weight status, with male and females differing from each other in overall and subtest (locomotor, object control, and stability skills) AMC scores. However, according to a risk of bias assessment, the level of evidence linked to the association of AMC (process and product) and PMC with weight status (BMI) remained uncertain and lacking, respectively. Further high-quality studies are warranted to improve the understanding of AMC and PMC in relation to weight status, which appears to be differently expressed by gender in primary school years. Regardless, based on the current quantitative data, the emerging inverse association between AMC/PMC and weight status implies that it would be best to limit sedentary behavior by including daily lessons in physical education to limit unfavorable conditions (i.e., obesity and overweight) during the school years.

HOMA Index, Vitamin D Levels, Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Juvenile Obesity: Data from the CHILT III Programme, Cologne

“…In most cases, such correlations were presented for children who were active in sports and confirmed the natural influence of the seasons [ 39 , 40 ]. In general, overweight children tend to perform less well and are more likely to be inactive [ 41 ]. Chee et al showed, in 243 Malaysian preschool-aged children, that body surface area exposed to sunlight, including outdoor exercise, solar index, and fat mass, were significant predictors of 25(OH)D concentration in this population [ 42 ].…”

Relationship between Type and Intensity of Sports Activities and the Prevalence of Overweight in Serbian School Children

“…The Non-communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD RisC) meta-analysis estimated that there are around 213 million overweight and 124 million children and adolescents (age [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] with obesity in the World [1]. The prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents aged 5-19 has risen dramatically from just 4% in 1975 to over 18% (18% of girls and 19% of boys) in 2016 [1].…”

“…Besides that, being overweight in childhood may affect motor competence for physical activities, as well as for professional activities in later life. Therefore, early involvement in sports activities may be important to counteract weight-related negative effects, through the improvement of movement skills and cognitive functions [7,8].…”

Visual occlusion effects on youth football players’ performance during small-sided games

“…However, before this step, further research is required to understand how OCL may acutely impact players' performance in game-based scenarios. This seems especially important if it is considered the lower levels of perceived motor competence by non-experienced players [26]. In fact, using perceptual-motor activities may contribute to improve the perceived motor competence, and consequently, contributing towards a better quality of life [26].…”