Abstract
This study describes the prevalence of fundamental movement skill (FMS) mastery and advanced skill proficiency among treatment-seeking 6–10-year old children with overweight/obesity. A total of 132 participants (8.4 ± 1.0 years, BMI 24.2 ± 3.1 kg/m2, 55% female, 76.5% obese) were assessed on 12 FMS and compared with a normative sample. The prevalence of FMS mastery was significantly lower among children categorized as overweight/obese for all skills across all age groups (all p < 0.05). Excluding the leap for 6–7-year olds, differences between the two samples remained when the prevalence of advance skill proficiency was examined for children categorized as overweight/obese. Physical activity programs designed for children with overweight/obesity need to address deficiencies in FMS proficiency as part of an overall strategy to promote physical activity participation.
Acknowledgements
We thank participating families, and the research assistants. This study was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia project grant (275226). Dylan Cliff is funded by a National Heart Foundation of Australia-Macquarie Fellowship.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.