title: Differences in motor performance between children and adolescents in Mozambique and Portugal: impact of allometric scaling.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children from developed and developing countries have different anthropometric characteristics which may affect their motor performance (MP).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To use the allometric approach to model the relationship between body size and MP in youth from two countries differing in socio-economic status-Portugal and Mozambique.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2946 subjects, 1280 Mozambicans (688 girls) and 1666 Portuguese (826 girls), aged 10-15 years were sampled. Height and weight were measured and the reciprocal ponderal index (RPI) was computed. MP included handgrip strength, 1-mile run/walk, curl-ups and standing long jump tests. A multiplicative allometric model was adopted to adjust for body size differences across countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Differences in MP between Mozambican and Portuguese children exist, invariably favouring the latter. The allometric models used to adjust MP for differences in body size identified the optimal body shape to be either the RPI or even more linear, i.e. approximately (height/mass(0.25)). Having adjusted the MP variables for differences in body size, the differences between Mozambican and Portuguese children were invariably reduced and, in the case of grip strength, reversed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results reinforce the notion that significant differences exist in MP across countries, even after adjusting for differences in body size.
authors.affiliation: a CIFI2D, Kinanthropometry Lab, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto , Porto , Portugal .|b CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil , Brasília - DF , Brazil .
authors.forename: Fernanda Karina
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: c School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure, University of Wolverhampton , Walsall , UK .
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nevill
authors.affiliation: a CIFI2D, Kinanthropometry Lab, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto , Porto , Portugal .
authors.forename: Thayse Natacha Q F
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: d Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UFTFPR), Campus Curitiba , Curitiba , Brazil .
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.affiliation: e Faculty of Physical Education and Sports , Pedagogical University , Maputo , Mozambique , and.
authors.forename: Timóteo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daca
authors.affiliation: e Faculty of Physical Education and Sports , Pedagogical University , Maputo , Mozambique , and.
authors.forename: Aspacia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madeira
authors.affiliation: f Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge , LA , USA.
authors.forename: Peter T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Katzmarzyk
authors.affiliation: e Faculty of Physical Education and Sports , Pedagogical University , Maputo , Mozambique , and.
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prista
authors.affiliation: a CIFI2D, Kinanthropometry Lab, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto , Porto , Portugal .
authors.forename: José A R
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Maia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009073:Mozambique; D011174:Portugal; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D018401:Sample Size
keywords: Allometry; cross-cultural; physical fitness; youth