title: Assessing fundamental motor skills in Belgian children aged 3-8 years highlights differences to US reference sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to understand the fundamental motor skills (FMS) of Belgian children using the process-oriented Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition (TGMD-2) and to investigate the suitability of using the United States (USA) test norms in Belgium.
  
  
  METHODS
  FMS were assessed using the TGMD-2. Gender, age and motor performance were examined in 1614 Belgian children aged 3-8 years (52.1% boys) and compared with the US reference sample.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More proficient FMS performance was found with increasing age, from 3 to 6 years for locomotor skills and 3 to 7 years for object control skills. Gender differences were observed in object control skills, with boys performing better than girls. In general, Belgian children had lower levels of motor competence than the US reference sample, specifically for object control skills. The score distribution of the Belgian sample was skewed, with 37.4% scoring below average and only 6.9% scoring above average.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study supported the usefulness of the TGMD-2 as a process-oriented instrument to measure gross motor development in early childhood in Belgium. However, it also demonstrated that caution is warranted when using the US reference norms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Farid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bardid
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Floris
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huyben
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenoir
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seghers
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: De Martelaer
authors.affiliation: Kinesiology Division, Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Goodway
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.|School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Frederik J A
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Deconinck
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001530:Belgium; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Belgium; Early childhood; Fundamental motor skills; Reference norms; Test of Gross Motor Development