title: Weight status is associated with cross-sectional trajectories of motor co-ordination across childhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research indicates the development of motor co-ordination (MC) may be an important contributing factor to positive or negative weight trajectories across childhood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyse cross-sectional associations between MC and weight status in children (boys n = 3344 - girls n = 3281), aged 6-11 years and assess overweight/obese risk across different ages.
  
  
  METHODS
  Body mass index (BMI) was calculated [body mass (kg)/height (m(2))]. MC was evaluated using the Körperkoordination Test für Kinder (KTK) and a motor quotient (MQ) was calculated. MQ distribution data were split into tertiles. The effect of age, sex and MQ tertiles on BMI and MC was tested with a factorial anova. A logistic regression also was performed to calculate odd ratios (OR) for being overweight/obese at each age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with higher MQ demonstrated lower BMI levels (F(2,6224) = 222.09; P < 0.001). Differences in BMI among MQ tertiles became larger across age (F(10,6224) = 4.53; P < 0.001). The OR of being overweight/obese in both sexes within the lowest MQ tertile increased in each age group from 6 to 11 years. Specifically, OR increased from 2.26 to 27.77 and from 1.87 to 6.81 in boys and girls respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with low levels of MC have a higher risk of being overweight/obese and this risk increases with age.
authors.affiliation: Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Bragança, Portugal; Department of Sports Science of Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Stodden
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: body fatness; children; cross-sectional; movement behaviour; physical activity