Motor Coordination performance of Schoolchildren Aged 7 to 10 Classified According to Childhood BMI

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyze motor coordination in schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 years of age, of both sexes, classified according to their nutritional status (underweight, eutrophic, overweight or obese). Methods: It is a cross-sectional study of schoolchildren from two municipal schools in São Sebastião do Paraíso in Minas Gerais. Motor coordination was assessed using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK). The data were processed using SPSS software, version 20.0. Spearman’s coefficient (ρ) was used to examine the correlation between the BMI and KTK variables. The Kruskal-Walli’s test was used to compare the BMI-categorized groups in relation to KTK performance. When significant differences were identified, Mann-Whitney post hoc analyses were performed to evaluate differences between pairs of groups with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. A total of 101 children of both sexes were included in the study: 54 girls (53.4%) and 47 boys (46.6%). Results: The children classified as “underweight” or “eutrophic” had higher KTK scores than those classified as “obese.” This negative correlation indicates that lower BMIs are associated with better performance on the KTK test. Conclusion:Overweight and obesity had a more negative impact on motor coordination than the fact that children were classified as having a BMI underweight.