title: Relationships between maturity status, physical activity, and physical self-perceptions in primary school children.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of maturity status on primary school children's physical activity and physical self-perceptions. Altogether, 175 children (97 girls, 78 boys) aged 10.6 +/- 0.3 years completed the Children and Youth Physical Self-Perception Profile and wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for five consecutive days to assess moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Anthropometric measures were completed to estimate maturity status. A two-level, multi-level analysis was used to assess the influence of maturity status on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and physical self-perceptions. Boys performed more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than girls (P < 0.0001), but when the effect of maturity status was controlled the difference was reduced (P = 0.02). Significant differences between the sexes were also observed for physical self-perception sub-domains (boys > girls, P = 0.02 to 0.0001). When maturity status was added to the model, significant differences were no longer apparent for each sub-domain, with the exception of perceived strength. Significant interactions between gender and maturity status revealed that boys' physical self-perceptions improved with more advanced maturity status, whereas girls' self-perceptions decreased (P = 0.07 to 0.002). Significant differences between the sexes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and some domains of physical self-perceptions were reduced or no longer evident when the effect of maturity status was controlled. Maturity status may differentially influence boys' and girls' physical self-perceptions.
authors.affiliation: REACH Group, Faculty of Education, Community & Leisure, Liverpool John Moores University, Barkhill Road, Liverpool, UK. s.j.fairclough@ljmu.ac.uk
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Fairclough
authors.forename: Nicola D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Ridgers
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D048788:Growth and Development; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors