Interrelationships among skeletal age, growth status and motor performances in female athletes 10–15 years

Abstract

Background

Motor performances of youth are related to growth and maturity status, among other factors.

Aim

To estimate the contribution of skeletal maturity status per se to the motor performances of female athletes aged 10–15 years and the mediation effects of growth status on the relationships.

Subjects and methods

Skeletal age (TW3 RUS SA), body size, proportions, estimated fat-free mass (FFM), motor performances, training history and participation motivation were assessed in 80 non-skeletally mature female participants in several sports. Hierarchical and regression-based statistical mediation analyses were used.

Results

SA per se explained a maximum of 1.8% and 5.8% of the variance in motor performances of athletes aged 10–12 and 13–15 years, respectively, over and above that explained by covariates. Body size, proportions, and hours per week of training and participation motivation explained, respectively, a maximum of 40.7%, 18.8%, and 22.6% of the variance in performances. Mediation analysis indicated specific indirect effects of SA through stature and body mass, alone or in conjunction with FFM on performances.

Conclusion

SA per se accounted for small and non-significant amounts of variance in several motor performances of female youth athletes; rather, SA influenced performances indirectly through effects on stature, body mass and estimated FFM.

Keywords:

• Maturity status
• motor proficiency
• adolescence
• sports

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the “Governo Regional da Madeira,” through the “Secretaria Regional de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia” and the “Direção Regional de Desporto,” Portugal. The authors thank the athletes, parents, coaches, clubs, and sport associations for their participation in the “Madeira Youth Athlete Study.” We are grateful to the undergraduate and postgraduate students of Physical Education and Sports for assisting with data collection. We also thank Dr. António Rodrigues and Dr. Celso Silva for their assistance with the radiographs and medical supervision of the fieldwork. Special thanks to the late Professor Doctor Emeritus Gaston Beunen, Department of Movement Sciences, Faculty of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium, who played a key role in designing this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the “Madeira Youth Athlete Study,” but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under licence for the current study, and thus are not publicly available. Data are, however, available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of Duarte Freitas ([email protected]), the PI of the “Madeira Youth Athlete Study.” Complete tables are also available on request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.