Fundamental Motor Skills and Physical Activity: Short-Term but Not Sustained Associations Between Improved Locomotor Skills and Preschoolers' Physical Activity Following a Motor Skill Intervention.

BACKGROUND

Fundamental motor skills (FMS) support children's participation in health-enhancing physical activity (PA), yet it remains unclear whether postintervention motor skill gains translate into increased PA.

PURPOSE: This study used cross-sectional and prospective analyses to examine associations between changes in preschoolers' FMS and PA immediately following the Children's Health Activity Motor Program and again 6 months later.

METHODS

Preschoolers (N = 153; 86 girls, mean age = 53.14 mo [4.43 y]) from 3 preschool centers participated. Process-oriented FMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition, and product measures were collected for running, jumping, hopping, kicking, and throwing. Moderate to vigorous PA was measured using wrist-worn ActiGraph accelerometers. Linear mixed models tested associations between FMS and PA changes, controlling for age, sex, and body mass index and accounting for preschool center differences.

RESULTS

Improvements in locomotor skills were positively associated with increased moderate to vigorous PA postintervention, whereas improvements in object control skills were negatively associated with moderate to vigorous PA at the same time point. No significant prospective associations were observed.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that locomotor skill gains may support short-term PA among preschoolers, but further research is needed to clarify additional aspects of the FMS-PA relationship after motor skill interventions.