title: Fundamental movement skills, physical fitness and physical activity among Australian children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe fundamental movement skills (FMS), physical fitness and level of physical activity among Australian children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and compare this with healthy peers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 6-16 years with JIA were recruited from hospital rheumatology clinics and private rheumatology rooms in Sydney, Australia. All children attended an assessment day, where FMS were assessed by a senior paediatric physiotherapist, physical fitness was assessed using the multistage 20-metre shuttle run test, and physical activity and physical and psychosocial well-being were assessed with questionnaires. These results were compared with age- and gender-matched peers from the NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey and the Health of Young Victorians Study using logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-eight children with JIA participated in this study. There were no differences in the proportion of children who had mastered FMS between children with JIA and their healthy peers (P > 0.05). However, there was a trend for children with JIA to have poorer physical fitness and be less physically active than healthy peers. Parents of children with JIA indicated more physical and psychosocial impairments among their children and themselves compared with parents of healthy children (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study in Australia to compare FMS, physical activity and fitness in children with JIA and their peers. While older children with JIA appear to have poorer physical fitness and physical activity levels than their peers, there is no difference in FMS.
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal Division, George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Centre for Nutrition, Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerben
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hulsegge
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Henschke
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chaitow
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broderick
authors.forename: Davinder
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Singh-Grewal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001315:Australia; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009048:Motor Skills; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: fundamental motor skills; juvenile idiopathic arthritis; physical activity; physical fitness