Influence of Geographical Area and Living Setting on Children's Weight Status, Motor Coordination, and Physical Activity

Abstract

This study was aimed (i) to examine the effect of living setting (rural vs. urban), geographical area (North vs. Center vs. South), and gender (boys vs. girls) on weight status, motor coordination, and physical activity (PA) level of Italian school-age children; (ii) to examine differences in the neighborhood walkability of different school areas from different geographical areas and living settings; and (iii) to examine whether motor coordination, PA level, geographical areas, living setting, neighborhood walkability, and gender could predict children's weight status. We assessed anthropometric parameters, gross motor coordination, and PA level in 1,549 children aged between 8 and 13 years. Results revealed that Central children had higher BMI than Northern and Southern children (η2 = 0.01). Moreover, Northern children showed the highest motor quotient (η2 = 0.148) and PA level (η2 = 0.02), followed by Southern and Central children, respectively. Children from the South of Italy attended schools located in neighborhoods with the highest Walk Score®. Urban children attended schools located in neighborhoods with a higher Walk Score® than rural children. Lower motor quotient (MQ), lower PA level, and living in a rural setting and in a car-dependent neighborhood were associated with a higher relative risk for obesity. Being a girl was associated with a lower relative risk for obesity. The alarming high percentage of overweight and obesity in children as well as motor coordination impairments revealed the urgent need of targeted PA interventions in pediatric population.

Gross motor coordination in relation to weight status: a longitudinal study in children and pre-adolescents

“…Tonge et al ( 48 ) showed that young girls are usually less engaged in physical activity than boys. This could be partially compensated by the observation that being a girl is associated with a lower relative risk of obesity ( 49 ). Jaakkola et al ( 50 ) also proposed that the decrease in girls’ motor competence was linked to a decrease in their opportunities for physical activity.…”

Physical Education on the Beach: An Alternative Way to Improve Primary School Children’s Skill- and Health-Related Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Girls seem to profit selectively only from EO intervention, significantly improving their aerobic capacity. Boys are usually more active than girls [ 6 ]. Thus, the enhancement of aerobic capacity in boys regardless of PE intervention could be due to their higher practice of aerobic activities in out-of-school settings [ 48 ].…”

“…The lack of adequate level of physical activity in children is associated with increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance, and vascular inflammation, which can be modified by changes in lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity and diet [ 2 ]. Moreover, studies reported that children’s increase of sedentary behaviors and the decrease of physical activity caused a substantial decline in their motor competence [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. It was well demonstrated that regular participation in physical activity induced positive effects on children’s physical and mental health improving health-related quality of life, physical and social functioning [ 7 ].…”

“…However, a large proportion of young people engage in less physical activity necessary for good health [ 8 ]. Recent studies conducted on Italian populations report that more than 18% of Italian children are sedentary [ 6 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. In this context, physical education (PE) appears to be an ideal instrument to promote physical activity participation, since many children and adolescents can be reached, to encourage young people to establish a long-lasting healthy lifestyle and to improve their motor performance [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Influence of Sport Practice and Body Weight on Physical Fitness in Schoolchildren Living in the Campania Region

“…However, PF levels in children depend on several determinants, including socio-cultural and economic factors, and others related to lifestyle, which can vary widely among different states and even within the same country/region [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. In Italy, a few studies have been carried out since the 1990s in some specific regions [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], but, to the best of our knowledge, no data are available for the Campania region up to now.…”