With recent revisions, the evaluation of the reliability and validity of the Test of Gross Motor Development—3rd edition (TGMD-3) is necessary. The TGMD-3 was administered to 807 children (M age = 6.33 ± 2.09 years; 52.5% male). Reliability assessments found that correlations with age were moderate to large; ball skills had a higher correlation (r = .47) compared with locomotor skills (r = .39). Internal consistency was very high in each age group and remained excellent for all racial/ethnic groups and both sexes. Test-retest reliability had high ICC agreements for the locomotor (ICC = 0.97), ball skills (ICC = 0.95), and total TGMD-3 (ICC = 0.97). For validity measures, the TGMD-3 had above acceptable item difficulty (range = 0.43–0.91) and item discrimination values (range = 0.34–0.67). EFA supported a one-factor structure of gross motor skill competence for the TGMD-3 with 73.82% variance explained. CFA supported the one-factor model (χ2(65) = 327.61, p < .001, CFI = .95, TLI = .94, RMSEA = .10), showing acceptable construct validity for the TGMD-3. Preliminary results show the TGMD-3 exhibits high levels of validity and reliability, providing confidence for the usage and collection of new norms.
Search Results
Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Test of Gross Motor Development—Third Edition
E. Kipling Webster and Dale A. Ulrich
Self-Perceptions of Physical Activity in Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Childhood
Marilyn J. Wright, Victoria Galea, and Ronald D. Barr
Participation in physical activity has important beneficial effects on physical and psychological health. Many outcomes associated with physical activity are typically compromised in survivors of childhood cancer. The purpose of this study was to describe self-perceptions of physical activity in survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and to explore the relationships of these findings with quality of life measures and clinical descriptors. 62 children and adolescents treated previously for ALL and 71 comparable healthy subjects completed the Children’s Self-perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity (CSAPPA) scale and the Health Utilities Index (HUI). The ALL subjects had significantly poorer self-perceptions of their adequacy in and predilection for physical activity than the comparison group. Stepwise regression analyses identified high risk for relapse, female gender, and older age, but not body-mass-index, age, age at diagnosis, length of time off therapy, or cranial irradiation as significant predictors of CSAPPA total scores in the ALL group. HUI overall scores and single attribute scores for emotion, cognition and pain had significant positive correlations with various CSAPPA scores. Results suggest that survivors of ALL are less inclined to participate in physical activity and physical activity scores are related to quality of life scores. Long-term follow-up should include education and programming to promote participation in physical activity.
Physical Activity and Motor Competence Present a Positive Reciprocal Longitudinal Relationship Across Childhood and Early Adolescence
Rodrigo A. Lima, Karin Pfeiffer, Lisbeth R. Larsen, Anna Bugge, Niels C. Moller, Lars B. Anderson, and David F. Stodden
Background:
The current study evaluated the reciprocal longitudinal relationship between physical activity (PA) and motor competence (MC) and the potential mediation of cardiorespiratory endurance across 7 years.
Methods:
This was a 7-year longitudinal study, the Copenhagen School Child Intervention Study (CoSCIS), with 3 measuring points [mean ages (in years) and respective sample size: 6.75 ± 0.37, n = 696; 9.59 ± 1.07, n = 617; 13.35 ± 0.34, n = 513]. PA was assessed using accelerometers. MC was evaluated by the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) test battery. Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak) was evaluated using a continuous running protocol until exhaustion. Structural equation modeling was performed to evaluate the longitudinal associations.
Results:
Vigorous PA (VPA) and MC presented reciprocal longitudinal association during the 7-year follow-up (VPA → MC; β = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.26; MC → VPA; β = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.21). In addition, VO2peak mediated the relationship in both directions (VPA → MC; β = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.12; MC → VPA; β = 0.06; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.09).
Conclusions:
PA and MC presented a positive reciprocal relationship across childhood through early adolescence and VO2peak mediated the association in both directions. Interventions targeting to increase PA in children and adolescents should also address the development of MC skills because of the clear positive feedback loop between PA and MC.
Gender Differences in Motor Performance in Early Childhood and Later Adulthood
Tonya Toole and Judith C. Kretzschmar
The purposes of this review article are to: 1) present empirical studies which have compared the development of motor skills for boys and girls in the early childhood years, 2) present studies which have made gender comparisons for similar and related motor skills for older adults, and 3) make comparisons between the younger and older age group literature in terms of gender and causal factors contributing to gender differences. It was concluded that: 1) young boys and older men are superior to young girls and older women in power-dependent skills. Biological and environmental factors were discussed as they relate to gender differences in one power-dependent skill, throwing, throughout the life-span, and 2) young girls excel at hopping, skipping, hand-eye coordination, limb and body control, and balance tasks compared to young boys. Of these tasks, balance and hand-eye coordination are the only skills which are typically measured for young children and older adults. For balance in older age, the results are equivocal but suggestions were made for understanding why women may have lost their performance advantage in older adulthood. For hand-eye coordination, women are not clearly better than men as they were in youth. Reasons for life-span changes are suggested.
Erratum. Effects of Four-Day School Weeks on Physical Education Exposure and Childhood Obesity
Journal of Physical Activity and Health
TO OUR READERS: A change was made to the following article after its initial publication online and in print: Tomayko EJ, Gunter KB, Schuna Jr. JB, Thompson PN. Effects of four-day school weeks on physical education exposure and childhood obesity. J Phys Act Health . 2020;17:902–906. https
Socioeconomic Status and Sport Participation at Different Developmental Stages During Childhood and Youth: Multivariate Analyses Using Canadian National Survey Data
Philip White and William McTeer
This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and sport and physical activity involvement at different stages of childhood and adolescence in Canada. From the previous literature on SES and health-related behavior, there was reason to test competing hypotheses on the direction of the predicted relationship. The data employed in our analyses came from Cycle 3 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth—1998–1999. Results, after controls, showed that SES was a significant predictor of sport involvement among 6–9 year-olds, but not for 10–15 year-olds. In the younger group, the higher the family SES the more frequent was the involvement. The effects of SES were much stronger for organized sport involvement than for participation in an informal context. The discussion bears on the implications of these findings for later adult physical activity and sport involvement and their ramifications for sport and exercise promotion policy.
Promoting Physical Activity and Fitness: Supporting Individuals With Childhood-Onset Disabilities
Myung Ha Sur
disabilities. However, it can pose difficulties to those unfamiliar with searching and interpreting empirical literature when applying it to real-life situations. The book Promoting Physical Activity and Fitness: Supporting Individuals With Childhood-Onset Disabilities, edited by Désirée B. Maltais and
Associations of Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain With Physical Fitness in Childhood
Konstantinos D. Tambalis, Stamatis Mourtakos, and Labros S. Sidossis
Increased maternal prepregnancy body mass index (mppBMI) has previously been connected to higher offspring body mass index (BMI) and cardiometabolic factors in childhood and adulthood ( 10 , 13 , 14 , 27 ). It is also well known that women who exceeded the recommended gestational weight gain (GWG
A Systematic Review of the Relationships Between Physical Activity and Sleep in Early Childhood
Christine W. St. Laurent, Katrina Rodheim, and Rebecca M.C. Spencer
Physical activity (i.e., any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure during wake periods) and sleep are important behaviors that contribute significantly to childhood health. Achieving sufficient physical activity and sleep in childhood can positively impact health outcomes, such as
Assessment of a Supine-to-Stand (STS) Task in Early Childhood: A Measure of Functional Motor Competence
Danielle Nesbitt, Sergio L. Molina, Maria Teresa Cattuzzo, Leah E. Robinson, David Phillips, and David Stodden
This paper examined relationships between qualitative (developmental sequences) and quantitative (time) performance in rising from a supine position in early childhood. One hundred twenty two children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years were videotaped for five trials of rising from a supine position. Children’s performance on the supine-to-stand (STS) task was quite variable in terms of both qualitative movement patterns and time (mean = 2.37 s, SD = .60). Results: Component sequences were moderately to strongly correlated with each other (r = .387 to .791). Upper-extremity (r = –.383) and axial (r = –.416) component levels also were inversely correlated with STS time. Results indicated a strong coordinative link between the development of trunk control (i.e., axial movement) and upper-extremity movement levels (r = .791), and together they demonstrated the strongest impact on the ability to rise quickly. These data provide important information relating to a child’s motor development that may have clinical relevance for diagnosis. It provides also a greater understanding on how to improve performance on this task. Future research should examine qualitative and quantitative aspects of STS performance to understand its predictive utility as a lifespan assessment of motor competence and its potential importance as a measure to predict healthrelated variables and functional capability across the lifespan.
