EQOL Journal (2023) 15(1): 37-43

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Motor competence of children with different levels of physical activity

Gojko Škundrić

• Draženka Mačak

• Snežana Damjanović

•

Boris Popović

✉

Received: 16

September, 2022 DOI: 10.31382/eqol.230605

Accepted: 15

May, 2023

Abstract

Adequate development, testing, continuous motor

competence monitoring and physical fitness are very

important factors in the development of children

aged 7 to 10. The purpose of this study was to

determine the differences in the motor competence

of the children engaged in organized physical

activities in sports clubs and the children who were

not included in any kind of organized physical

activity. The study included 119 children, 57

children engaged in organized activities in sports

clubs (age: 8.44 ± 0.78; height: 133.17 ± 7.21;

weight: 31.96 ± 7.73 BMI: 17.9 ± 3.38) and 62

children who had no additional organized physical

activity (age: 8.43 ± 0.84; height: 134.85 ± 7.60;

Weight: 34.44 ± 9.20 BMI: 18.7 ± 3.68). Motor

competence was assessed by the Kiphard-Schilling

body coordination test (KTK). After adjusting for

age, gender, and BMI effects, we found small to

medium significant mean differences (p<0.05, d

[95%CI]) between the groups in hopping for height

tests (d=0.78 [0.41, 1.16]), jumping sideways

(d=0.79 [0.42, 1.17]), moving sideways (d=0.68

[0.32, 1.06]), and walking backward (d=0.44 [0.07,

0.81]). The results have shown that the children who

were engaged in organized physical activities in

sports clubs have a higher level of motor

competence than their peers who were not included

in the organized system in sports clubs. The authors

strongly suggest that teachers, educators, coaches,

and parents should encourage and include children

in organized systems of physical activity, i.e.,

training processes in sports clubs.

Keywords motor competence • children • health •

physical activity.

Introduction

A low level of motor abilities in children, due to

reduced levels of physical activity and fitness, has

a very negative effect on their health. This

phenomenon is very common and is found in

children around the world (Moreira et al., 2019).

Increasing the level of physical activity directly

affects the development of motor competence in

children (Stodden et al., 2008). Children who have

a high degree of motor skills have a higher share

in physical activity (Haga et al., 2008; Lubans, et

al., 2010; Wrotniak et al., 2006). It is very

important to encourage the development of motor

skills from early childhood (Hoeboer, et al., 2016).

Motor competence indicates that the level of

performance in various motor skills is very

important in children for developing a healthy and

active lifestyle (Cattuzzo, et al., 2016). If a child

has motor problems and does not solve them

during childhood, there might be a higher chance

that these problems will be transferred to

adulthood (Losse, et al., 1991). Low levels of

motor skills can result in behavioral issues and

lead to emotional and social difficulties (Mandich

et al., 2003). A decreased level of motor skills

negatively affects the quality of activities in team

sports and, in general, the aspiration to engage in

physical activity (Smyth & Anderson, 2000).

Quality and adequate programs can significantly

influence the development of motor skills and

improve the quality of movement (Mačak, et al.,

✉

borispopovic0803@gmail.com

University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sport and

Physical Education, Novi Sad, Serbia

EQOL Journal (2023) 15(1): 37-43

2021; Popović et al., 2020; Ruiz-Perez et al., 2018).

Most children should naturally enjoy physical

activities such as rolling, running, throwing, walking,

jumping, etc. There are an increasing number of

health problems due to a sedentary lifestyle, and such

children are more susceptible to low self-esteem,

motivation, and poor social competence (Bar-Or,

2005; Kalverboer et al., 1990) and very often feel

unhappy (Schoemaker et al., 1994).

Numerous studies have shown higher level of

coordination of the children who are training for some

sports and those who are not engaged in some

organized form of physical activity. A group of

authors (Šalaj et al., 2016) states that multisport

programs can be recommended as the best type of

exercise for preschool children with certain

advantages over specific rhythmic gymnastics and

football programs. Another group of authors

confirmed that intensive sport-specific training may

extend young athletes’ motor coordination

characteristics in the ability areas depending on the

sport in which they engage (Jaakkola et al., 2017).

The main results of the study (Popović et al., 2020)

have proved that children enrolled in a

multicomponent sports activity have a significantly

higher level of motor coordination than children

enrolled in football. Therefore, they advise and

encourage parents, coaches and educators to practice

multisports exercise programs as the best physical

activity for preschool and younger school-age

children. Fransen et al. (2012) indicated the

importance of setting aside time for the realization of

various physical activities in various sports so that

children can develop their gross motor coordination.

In addition to the already established intervention

strategies, it is very important to use appropriate

measuring instruments. The Körperkoordinationstest

für kinder (KTK) is a reliable and inexpensive engine

motor coordination test that is already widely used in

the world. The KTK was developed in Germany for

testing children and adolescents ages 5 to 14 years

(Kiphard & Schilling, 2007). The KTK

(Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder) contains four

tasks: walking backward (VB), hopping for height

(HH), jumping sideways (JS), and moving sideways

(MS).

The study of Lopes et al. (2012) confirmed that

motor coordination demonstrated an inverse

relationship with BMI across childhood and into early

adolescence. Stodden et al. (2008) claimed that the

level of gross motor skills plays a crucial role in

starting and sustaining physical activity and physical

fitness during adolescence and adulthood as a whole,

which is very important in a continuous struggle

against obesity and increasing numbers of chronic

heart diseases.

The systematic review of Barnett et al. (2022)

confirms strong positive evidence for the fitness-

mediating motor competence/physical activity

pathway in both directions, as well as strong positive

evidence for the path from motor competence to

health-related fitness and indeterminate evidence

from fitness to motor competence. Likewise, there

was strong evidence of a positive path from

locomotor/coordination skills to fitness in both

directions.

In other systematic review (Barnett et al., 2016),

authors recognized that physical activity is a positive

correlate of skill composite and motor coordination.

They also found indeterminate evidence for physical

activity being a correlate of object control or

locomotor skill competence.

The purpose of this research was to determine

whether school-age children’s motor competence

differentiates between those engaged in organized

physical activity and those nonengaged.

Method

Participants

This cross-sectional study included 119 children in

two gender-balanced groups, 57 children engaged in

organized activities in sports clubs (the physically

active group, age: 8.44 ± 0.78; height: 133.17 ± 7.21;

weight: 31.96 ± 7.73; BMI: 17.9 ± 3.38) and 62

children who had no organized physical activity (the

physically inactive group age: 8.43 ± 0.84; height:

134.85 ± 7.60; Weight: 34.44 ± 9.20 BMI: 18.7 ±

3.68) (Table 1). The physically active children were

training for: football (15), volleyball (12), basketball

(11), athletics (8), and other sports (11). All

participants were students attending two elementary

schools in the municipality of Odžaci (Elementary

School “Miroslav Antić” and Elementary School

“Branko Radičević”). The flow of participants

through the research is presented in Figure 1 below.

measure.