Physical Fitness in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective

To synthesize evidence about physical fitness levels in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) compared with typically developing (TD) children.

Methods

We searched four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO) for cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies comparing physical fitness between children with and without DCD. We assessed the methodological quality of the studies with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). We calculated Cohen’s d effect sizes to provide clinical evidence of group differences in aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, muscle strength, body composition and flexibility.

Results

We included 32 studies for qualitative synthesis after applying eligibility criteria. All selected studies ranged from moderate to high research quality. Effect sizes in favor of typically developing children over children with DCD were large for aerobic capacity (d = 1.15), anaerobic capacity (d = 0.90), and muscle strength (d = 0.79), and small for body composition (d = 0.43) and flexibility (d = 0.21) outcomes.

Conclusion

Children with DCD presented significantly lower physical fitness than their typically developing peers, particularly in aerobic and anaerobic capacity and in muscle strength.

Keywords:

• Aerobic capacity
• anaerobic capacity
• motor skills disorders
• muscle strength
• physical fitness

Acknowledgment

The authors declare they did not receive funds related to this study.

Author Contributions

First author designed the study. First and second authors supervised the data extraction and synthesis of the studies, performed by the third, fourth, fifth and sixth authors. The first and second authors prepared the first draft of the manuscript and all authors edited and approved the final version of this systematic review. The authors declare they did not receive funds related to this study.

Disclosure Statement

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

Data Availability Statement

Data are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the State University of Bahia (UNEB), Bahia, Brazil through the Scientific Initiation Program (PIBIC), with scholarship from National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

Notes on contributors

Jorge Lopes Cavalcante Neto

Jorge Lopes Cavalcante Neto is an Adjunct Professor at State University of Bahia, Bahia, Brazil. He coordinates the Laboratory of Evaluation and Intervention in Adapted Motor Activity - LAIAMA.

Tatiane Targino Gomes Draghi

Tatiane Targino Gomes Draghi is a Lecturer at Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio University Center, Itu, São Paulo, Brazil.

Iklessys Will Pereira dos Santos

Iklessys Will Pereira dos Santos was Scientific Initiation Student from the Physical Education course at State University of Bahia.

Ricele da Silva Brito

Ricele da Silva Brito was Scientific Initiation Student from the Physical Education course at State University of Bahia and is member of the LAIAMA's lab.

Lucinete Sena de Oliveira Silva

Lucinete Sena de Oliveira Silva was Scientific Initiation Student from the Physical Education course at State University of Bahia and is member of the LAIAMA's lab.

Uiliam dos Santos Lima

Uiliam dos Santos Lima was Scientific Initiation Student from the Physical Education course at State University of Bahia and is member of the LAIAMA's lab.