Factors Associated with Motor Competence in Preschoolers from a Brazilian Urban Area

Juliana Nogueira Pontes Nobre; Rosane Luzia De Souza Morais; Ângela Alves Viegas; Amanda Cristina Fernandes; Pedro Henrique Scheidt Figueiredo; Henrique Silveira Costa; Marco Fabrício Dias Peixoto; Marcus Alessandro de Alcântara; Vanessa Amaral Mendonça; Ana Cristina Rodrigues Lacerda

doi:10.1007/s10566-022-09708-7

Factors Associated with Motor Competence in Preschoolers from a Brazilian Urban Area

Child Youth Care Forum. 2023;52(3):721-736. doi: 10.1007/s10566-022-09708-7. Epub 2022 Aug 24.

Authors

Juliana Nogueira Pontes Nobre^{1

2}, Rosane Luzia De Souza Morais³, Ângela Alves Viegas^{1

2}, Amanda Cristina Fernandes^{1

4}, Pedro Henrique Scheidt Figueiredo^{1

3

4}, Henrique Silveira Costa^{1

3

4}, Marco Fabrício Dias Peixoto^{1

3

4

2}, Marcus Alessandro de Alcântara^{1

3

4}, Vanessa Amaral Mendonça^{1

3

4

2}, Ana Cristina Rodrigues Lacerda^{1

3

4

2}

Affiliations

¹ Centro Integrado de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Saúde (CIPq-Saúde), Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), Diamantina, Minas Gerais Brazil.
² Programa Multicêntrico de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas (PMPGCF), Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), Diamantina, Minas Gerais Brazil.
³ Faculdade de Fisioterapia, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), Diamantina, Minas Gerais Brazil.
⁴ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Reabilitação e Desempenho Funcional (PPGReab), Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), Diamantina, Minas Gerais Brazil.

Abstract

Background: Preschool is a crucial period for developing motor skills.

Objective: This study evaluated factors associated with motor competence in preschoolers from a Brazilian urban area.

Methods: A total of 211 preschoolers (51.2% girls and 48.8% boys) were evaluated. Body mass index was calculated; the Brazilian Economic Research Criterion, the Mini-Mental Scale (MMC) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale®, Revised (ECERS-R™) were applied; the Habitual Physical Activity time was recorded; the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) was performed. Univariate analysis was performed using simple linear regression for the independent variables, considering the motor test subscales as dependent variables. Variables with p < 0.20 in the univariate analysis were considered for the multiple linear regression model and were entered into the stepwise method.

Results: The independent variables remaining in the Standard Score Locomotor model were BMI, presence of park at school, and MMC (R² = 0.16). The independent variables remaining in the Standard Object Control score were MMC and gender (R² = 0.03). The variables associated with the highest scores of Gross Motor Quotient were MMC, body mass index, and presence of a park at school, respectively (R² = 0.11).

Conclusion: Male eutrophic preschoolers who are physically active and attend schools with parks or courtyards in a Brazilian urban area have the highest scores for global cognitive function and motor competence.

Keywords: Child; Cognition; Leisure activity; Motor skill; Psychomotor performance.

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