Ilse Gentier

A longitudinal analysis of gross motor coordination in overweight and obese children versus normal-weight peers

Background:The relationship of childhood overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) with motor skill and coordination is gaining due attention; however, longitudinal evidence is currently lacking.Objective:The dual purpose of this study was (1) to investigate the short-term evolution in the level of gross motor coordination according to childrens weight status, and (2) to identify those factors predicting their gross motor coordination performance over a 2-year interval.Subjects:Participants were 50 children with OW, including 8 with OB (aged 6–10 years at baseline, with 52% boys), and 50 with normal-weight (NW) matched for gender and age.Measurements:Anthropometrics (body height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), %body fat) and level of gross motor coordination (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder, KTK) were assessed in 2007 (baseline) and 2 years later in 2009 (follow-up). At baseline, participants completed a survey based on the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire (FPAQ) to obtain socio-demographic information and to determine physical activity levels in diverse domains.Results:The evolution in the level of gross motor coordination over time was strongly related to childrens weight status. Participants in the NW group showed more progress than their OW/OB peers, who demonstrated significantly poorer performances. Accordingly, between-group differences in KTK outcomes (that is, raw item scores and total motor quotient) became more evident over time. Multiple linear regression analysis further indicated that, in addition to BMI per se (negative predictor), participation in organized sports within a sports club (positive predictor) determines gross motor coordination performance(s) 2 years later.Conclusion:Our results provide conclusive evidence for an increasingly widening gap of OW/OB childrens gross motor coordination relative to NW peers across developmental time in the absence of targeted initiatives. Special attention is thus needed for OW/OB children, especially for those not practicing sports in a club environment, in terms of motor skill improvement to promote regular participation in physical activity.

Fine and gross motor skills differ between healthy-weight and obese children

Within the obesity literature, focus is put on the link between weight status and gross motor skills. However, research on fine motor skills in the obese (OB) childhood population is limited. Therefore, the present study focused on possible weight related differences in gross as well as fine motor skill tasks. Thirty-four OB children (12 ♀ and 22 ♂, aged 7-13 years) were recruited prior to participating in a multidisciplinary treatment program at the Zeepreventorium (De Haan, Belgium). Additionally, a control group of 34 age and gender-matched healthy-weight (HW) children was included in the study. Anthropometric measures were recorded and gross and fine motor skills were assessed using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2). Results were analyzed by independent samples t-tests, multivariate analysis of variance, and a chi-squared test. Being OB was detrimental for all subtests evaluating gross motor skill performance (i.e., upper-limb coordination, bilateral coordination, balance, running speed and agility, and strength). Furthermore, OB children performed worse in fine motor precision and a manual dexterity task, when compared to their HW peers. No group differences existed for the fine motor integration task. Our study provides evidence that lower motor competence in OB children is not limited to gross motor skills alone; OB children are also affected by fine motor skill problems. Further investigation is warranted to provide possible explanations for these differences. It is tentatively suggested that OB children experience difficulties with the integration and processing of sensory information. Future research is needed to explore whether this assumption is correct and what the underlying mechanism(s) could be.

A longitudinal study of gross motor coordination and weight status in children

This longitudinal study investigated the interrelationship between childrens weight status and level of gross motor coordination over time, taking baseline physical activity (PA) into account as a possible mediator.

Postural balance under normal and altered sensory conditions in normal-weight and overweight children

BACKGROUND little or no research has been done in the overweight child on the relative contribution of multisensory information to maintain postural stability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate postural balance control under normal and experimentally altered sensory conditions in normal-weight versus overweight children. METHODS sixty children were stratified into a younger (7-9yr) and an older age group (10-12yr). Participants were also classified as normal-weight (n=22) or overweight (n=38), according to the international BMI cut-off points for children. Postural stability was assessed during quiet bilateral stance in four sensory conditions (eyes open or closed, normal or reduced plantar sensation), using a Kistler force plate to quantify COP dynamics. Coefficients of variation were calculated as well to describe intra-individual variability. FINDINGS removal of vision resulted in systematically higher amounts of postural sway, but no significant BMI group differences were demonstrated across sensory conditions. However, under normal conditions lower plantar cutaneous sensation was associated with higher COP velocities and maximal excursion of the COP in the medial-lateral direction for the overweight group. Regardless of condition, higher variability was shown in the overweight children within the 7-9yr old subgroup for postural sway velocity, and more specifically medial-lateral velocity. INTERPRETATION in spite of these subtle differences, results did not establish any clear underlying sensory organization impairments that may affect standing balance performance in overweight children compared to normal-weight peers. Consequently, it is believed that other factors account for overweight childrens functional balance deficiencies.

Weight Loss and Improved Gross Motor Coordination in Children as a Result of Multidisciplinary Residential Obesity Treatment

This study evaluated the short‐term effectiveness of a multidisciplinary residential obesity treatment program by describing changes in body weight, related measures, and gross motor co‐ordination. Secondarily, it was examined to what extent the amount of relative weight loss achieved by overweight and obese (OW/OB) participants explained the projected improvement in gross motor co‐ordination. Thirty‐six OW/OB children (aged 10.5 ± 1.4 years, 12 girls and 24 boys) were recruited at the Zeepreventorium VZW (De Haan, Belgium), where they followed a specific program consisting of moderate dietary restriction, psychological support, and physical activity. For reference purposes, an additional group of 36 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy‐weight (HW) children was included in the study. Anthropometric measures were recorded and gross motor co‐ordination was assessed using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) on two occasions with an interval of 4 months. Regardless of the test moment, OW/OB participants displayed significantly poorer KTK performances (P < 0.001). However, treatment was found to be efficacious in decreasing body weight (Δ 17.9 ± 3.1%, P < 0.001) and generating a significant progress in gross motor co‐ordination performance, with a greater increase in KTK score(s) from baseline to re‐test as compared to HW peers (P < 0.01). Within the OW/OB group, the amount of relative weight loss explained 26.9% of the variance in improvement in overall KTK performance. Therefore, multidisciplinary residential treatment and concomitant weight loss can be considered an important means to upgrade OW/OB childrens level of gross motor co‐ordination, which in turn may promote physical activity participation.

A comparative study of performance in simple and choice reaction time tasks between obese and healthy-weight children

This study investigated weight status related differences in executive functions and movement execution to determine whether or not childhood obesity is associated with impaired perceptual-motor function. Nineteen obese (OB) children (10 ♂ and 9 ♀, aged 6-12 years) and nineteen gender and age matched healthy-weight (HW) peers performed two computer-based reaction time tasks. For both the simple and four choice reaction time (SRT/CRT) task condition, absolute mean reaction time (RT) and movement time (MT) were determined and expressed as a percentage of total response time (RsT). During the SRT task, OB children were intrinsically slower than their HW peers as reflected by a significantly higher absolute RT, MT and RsT. In the CRT task, however, between-group differences were only present for RT and RsT, whereas absolute MT was comparable among OB and HW participants. As a result, the relative temporal structure of RsT significantly differed between BMI groups, with a greater RT percentage among the OB children. During the CRT condition, OB children probably await final decision-making with regard to the execution of their response movement, which then no longer needs to be adjusted. Our results therefore indicate the use of a more conservative strategy within the OB group, suggesting that childhood obesity is associated with impaired perceptual-motor function. Besides the widely accepted mechanical explanation, a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying OB childrens motor incompetence is needed to set up appropriate interventions to tackle this deficit and indirectly address associated health-related problems.

Multidisciplinary residential treatment can improve perceptual‐motor function in obese children

This study evaluated the effects of a 10‐month multidisciplinary residential treatment programme on the perceptual‐motor function of obese children and compared them to children with a healthy weight.