Preschool Physical Activity Level and Change in Body Fatness in Young Children

SummaryStudy aim: The purposes of this study were to analyze: the influence of physical activity level on the association between motor coordination and body fatness; the influence of body fatness on the association between motor coordination and physical activity; and how much physical activity and body fatness, separately and together, explain motor coordination in adolescent boys.Material and methods: Fifty-one boys (n = 51), aged between 12 and 14 years, participated in the study. Motor coordination and physical activity and body fat percentage were assessed with, respectively, the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) and a validated self-administered questionnaire (PAQ-C). Skinfold thickness was measured to assess the participant’s body fat percentage. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare levels of motor coordination, physical activity, and body fat according to age (12, 13, 14 years). Bivariate and partial correlations were used to analyze the interrelationships among the selected variables.Results: In the total studied group (n = 51 boys), motor coordination was positively associated with physical activity level (r = 0.300) and negatively associated with body fatness (r = –0.297). However, these associations were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) when controlled for body fatness and physical activity, respectively. Also, body fat and physical activity together explained 11% of the variance in the motor coordination level in adolescent boys.Conclusions: These findings suggest that body fatness can influence the association between motor coordination and physical activity as well as that physical activity level can influence the association between motor coordination and body fat percentage. Also, body fat and physical activity together, but not separately, partially explained the variance in the motor coordination level. Therefore, body fat and physical activity seem to be complementarily associated with motor coordination in adolescent boys.

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Pedometer Use Increases Physical Activity Level

Clinical Endocrinology News ◽

10.1016/s1558-0164(07)70641-7 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2 (12) ◽

pp. 18

Author(s):

MARY ANN MOON

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Level ◽

Activity Level

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Self-Referent Thoughts in Exercise: The Self-Perception in Exercise Questionnaire

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.13.3.195 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 195-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marit Sorensen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Physical Activity Level ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

English Language ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Activity Level ◽

Language Version ◽

Social Comfort ◽

And Gender

Adherence to lifestyle changes - beginning to exercise, for example - is assumed to be mediated by self-referent thoughts. This paper describes a pilot study and three studies conducted to develop and validate a questionnaire for adults to determine their self-perceptions related to health-oriented exercise. The pilot study identified items pertinent to the domains considered important in this context, and began the process of selecting items. Study 2 examined the factor structure, reduced the number of items, determined the internal consistency of the factors, and explored the discriminative validity of the questionnaire as to physical activity level and gender. Four factors with a total of 24 items were accepted, measuring mastery of exercise, body perception, social comfort/discomfort in the exercise setting, and perception of fitness. All subscales had acceptable internal consistencies. Preliminary validity was demonstrated by confirming hypothesized differences in scores as to gender, age, and physical activity level. The third study examined and demonstrated convergent validity with similar existing subscales. The fourth study examined an English-language version of the questionnaire, confirming the existence of the factors and providing preliminary psychometric evidence of the viability of the questionnaire.

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