Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Flores, Pedro Miguel
Data de Publicação: 2023
Outros Autores: Coelho, Eduarda, Mourão-Carvalhal, Isabel, Forte, Pedro
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29387
Resumo: There is evidence of a relationship between motor and cognitive development. The literature has shown that of all the motor skills, fine motor skills are those that contribute most to mathematical performance in preschool children. As this is a sensitive period in the development of motor skills, low levels of physical activity in this period can compromise their development and contribute to weight gain and obesity. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze the relationship between mathematical and motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity. The sample consisted of 62 preschool children (32 males) with an average age of 4.63 0.81. The Weschler preschool and primary scale of intelligence—revised arithmetic test was used to assess mathematical skills. The tests to assess fine motor skills were the “Adapted Threading Beads Test” and the “Adapted Visuomotor Integration Test”. The movement assessment battery for children-2, band 1, “Aiming & Catching”, and “Balance” tests were used to assess gross motor skills. Levels of physical activity were assessed using the “Preschool-age physical activity questionnaire” and obesity using the body mass index. The results indicated that only the fine motor skills of visuomotor integration were included in the multiple linear regression model (F < 0.001; r = 0.464; R2 = 0.215; p < 0.001), with the exclusion of gross motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity levels. Thus, it was concluded that mathematical skills were only directly and significantly influenced by visuomotor integration. However, visuomotor integration was positively and significantly associated with gross motor skills (r = 0.269; p < 0.05) and not with levels of physical activity and obesity. Thus, gross motor skills could contribute to improving visuomotor integration directly and consequently mathematical skills indirectly. The results of this study suggest that the implementation of structured physical activity programs can contribute to mathematical performance.
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spelling Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool childrenMath skillsMotor skillsPhysical activityObesityThere is evidence of a relationship between motor and cognitive development. The literature has shown that of all the motor skills, fine motor skills are those that contribute most to mathematical performance in preschool children. As this is a sensitive period in the development of motor skills, low levels of physical activity in this period can compromise their development and contribute to weight gain and obesity. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze the relationship between mathematical and motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity. The sample consisted of 62 preschool children (32 males) with an average age of 4.63 0.81. The Weschler preschool and primary scale of intelligence—revised arithmetic test was used to assess mathematical skills. The tests to assess fine motor skills were the “Adapted Threading Beads Test” and the “Adapted Visuomotor Integration Test”. The movement assessment battery for children-2, band 1, “Aiming & Catching”, and “Balance” tests were used to assess gross motor skills. Levels of physical activity were assessed using the “Preschool-age physical activity questionnaire” and obesity using the body mass index. The results indicated that only the fine motor skills of visuomotor integration were included in the multiple linear regression model (F < 0.001; r = 0.464; R2 = 0.215; p < 0.001), with the exclusion of gross motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity levels. Thus, it was concluded that mathematical skills were only directly and significantly influenced by visuomotor integration. However, visuomotor integration was positively and significantly associated with gross motor skills (r = 0.269; p < 0.05) and not with levels of physical activity and obesity. Thus, gross motor skills could contribute to improving visuomotor integration directly and consequently mathematical skills indirectly. The results of this study suggest that the implementation of structured physical activity programs can contribute to mathematical performance.This research was funded by the FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology: UIDB/DTP/04045/2020.MDPIBiblioteca Digital do IPBFlores, Pedro MiguelCoelho, EduardaMourão-Carvalhal, IsabelForte, Pedro2024-01-30T10:18:08Z20232023-01-01T00:00:00Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/29387engFlores, Pedro Miguel; Coelho, Eduarda; Mourão-Carvalhal, Isabel; Forte, Pedro (2023). Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children. Behavioral Sciences. eISSN 2076-328X. 13:12, p. 1-2810.3390/bs131210002076-328Xinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2024-02-07T01:19:19Zoai:bibliotecadigital.ipb.pt:10198/29387Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-20T01:58:58.033418Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
title Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
spellingShingle Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
Flores, Pedro Miguel
Math skills
Motor skills
Physical activity
Obesity
title_short Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
title_full Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
title_fullStr Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
title_full_unstemmed Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
title_sort Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children
author Flores, Pedro Miguel
author_facet Flores, Pedro Miguel
Coelho, Eduarda
Mourão-Carvalhal, Isabel
Forte, Pedro
author_role author
author2 Coelho, Eduarda
Mourão-Carvalhal, Isabel
Forte, Pedro
author2_role author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Biblioteca Digital do IPB
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Flores, Pedro Miguel
Coelho, Eduarda
Mourão-Carvalhal, Isabel
Forte, Pedro
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Math skills
Motor skills
Physical activity
Obesity
topic Math skills
Motor skills
Physical activity
Obesity
description There is evidence of a relationship between motor and cognitive development. The literature has shown that of all the motor skills, fine motor skills are those that contribute most to mathematical performance in preschool children. As this is a sensitive period in the development of motor skills, low levels of physical activity in this period can compromise their development and contribute to weight gain and obesity. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze the relationship between mathematical and motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity. The sample consisted of 62 preschool children (32 males) with an average age of 4.63 0.81. The Weschler preschool and primary scale of intelligence—revised arithmetic test was used to assess mathematical skills. The tests to assess fine motor skills were the “Adapted Threading Beads Test” and the “Adapted Visuomotor Integration Test”. The movement assessment battery for children-2, band 1, “Aiming & Catching”, and “Balance” tests were used to assess gross motor skills. Levels of physical activity were assessed using the “Preschool-age physical activity questionnaire” and obesity using the body mass index. The results indicated that only the fine motor skills of visuomotor integration were included in the multiple linear regression model (F < 0.001; r = 0.464; R2 = 0.215; p < 0.001), with the exclusion of gross motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity levels. Thus, it was concluded that mathematical skills were only directly and significantly influenced by visuomotor integration. However, visuomotor integration was positively and significantly associated with gross motor skills (r = 0.269; p < 0.05) and not with levels of physical activity and obesity. Thus, gross motor skills could contribute to improving visuomotor integration directly and consequently mathematical skills indirectly. The results of this study suggest that the implementation of structured physical activity programs can contribute to mathematical performance.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023
2023-01-01T00:00:00Z
2024-01-30T10:18:08Z
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29387
url http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29387
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Flores, Pedro Miguel; Coelho, Eduarda; Mourão-Carvalhal, Isabel; Forte, Pedro (2023). Relationships between math skills, motor skills, physical activity, and obesity in typically developing preschool children. Behavioral Sciences. eISSN 2076-328X. 13:12, p. 1-28
10.3390/bs13121000
2076-328X
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
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dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
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instacron:RCAAP
instname_str Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
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