title: Tracking of gross motor coordination in Portuguese children.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the tracking of gross motor coordination (GMC) and to profile children at 6 years of age who consistently showed higher stability patterns in different levels of GMC. The participants were 245 children (123 boys and 122 girls) who were assessed longitudinally from 6 to 9 years of age. GMC was assessed using the Korperkoordinationtest fur Kinder (KTK) test battery. Anthropometry, physical activity, and health- and performance-related physical fitness were also measured. Cohen's kappa (κ) was used to estimate tracking. Tracking was poor for all GMC tests (0.17 ≤ κ ≤ 0.38) and moderate for the GMC motor quotient (MQ) in both boys and girls (0.44 ≤ κ ≤ 0.45). Instability at the extremes was low in GMC tests and negligible for MQ. Children who consistently showed high GMC levels during the 4 years of follow-up were lighter, had lower body mass index and subcutaneous fat, and showed higher scores in physical fitness tests at 6 years of age than those who consistently had low GMC levels. In conclusion, GMC showed low-to-moderate tracking over time in childhood. However, children who consistently demonstrated high GMC levels over time had healthier profiles at 6 years of age.
authors.affiliation: a Higher School of Physical Education , University of Pernambuco , Recife , Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Henrique
authors.affiliation: b Academic Department of Applied Sciences for Physical Education and Sport , National University of Education Enrique Guzmán y Valle , Lima , Peru.
authors.forename: Alcibíades V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Bustamante
authors.affiliation: c Department of Physical Education and Sport , University of Madeira , Funchal , Portugal.
authors.forename: Duarte L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: d School of Physical Education and Sport , University of São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.affiliation: e Pennington Biomedical Research Center , Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge , Louisiana , USA.
authors.forename: Peter T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Katzmarzyk
authors.affiliation: f CIFI2D, Faculty of Sport, Kinanthropometry Lab , University of Porto , Porto , Portugal.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Maia
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D011174:Portugal; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000033:anatomy & histology
keywords: Tracking; children; gross motor coordination; longitudinal studies