The American journal of human biology says that Children
Who Spend Three-Quarters of Their Time in Sedentary Behavior Have Up to Nine
Times Poorer Motor Coordination Than Active Peers
Children who spend more than three-quarters of their time
engaging in sedentary behaviour, such as watching TV and sitting at computers,
have up to nine times poorer motor coordination than their more active peers,
reveals a study published in the American Journal of Human Biology.
The study, involving Portuguese children, found that
physical activity alone was not enough to overcome the negative effect of
sedentary behaviour on basic motor coordination skills such as walking,
throwing or catching, which are considered the building blocks of more complex
movements.
"Childhood is a critical time for the development of
motor coordination skills which are essential for health and well-being,"
said lead author Dr Luis Lopes, from the University of Minho. "We know
that sedentary lifestyles have a negative effect on these skills and are
associated with decreased fitness, lower self-esteem, decreased academic
achievement and increased obesity."
Dr Lopes' team studied 110 girls and 103 boys aged nine
to ten from 13 urban elementary schools. The children's sedentary behaviour and
physical activity were objectively measured with accelerometers (a small device
that children attach to their waist that quantifies movement counts and
intensities) over five consecutive days. Motor coordination was evaluated with
the KTK test (Körperkoordination Test für Kinder), which includes balance,
jumping laterally, hopping on one leg over an obstacle and shifting platforms.
The tests were supplemented with a questionnaire for
parents to assess health variables, before the authors compiled the results
into three models to calculate odd ratios for predicting motor coordination.
These were adjusted for physical activity, accelerometer wear time, waist to
height ratio and home variables.
On average the children spent 75.6% of their time being
sedentary, but the impact on motor coordination was found to be greater on boys
than girls.
Girls who spent 77.3% or more of their time being
sedentary were 4 to 5 times less likely to have normal motor coordination than
more active girls. However, boys who were sedentary for more than 76% of their
time were between 5 to 9 times less likely to have good or normal motor
coordination than their active peers.
"It is very clear from our study that a high level
of sedentary behaviour is an independent predictor of low motor coordination,
regardless of physical activity levels and other key factors" said Lopes.
"High sedentary behaviour had a significant impact on the children's motor
coordination, with boys being more adversely affected than girls."
Until now there has been little research into the links
between sedentary behaviour and motor coordination, but these findings reveal
that physical activity did not counteract the negative effects that high levels
of sedentary behaviour had on motor coordination.
"The results demonstrate the importance of setting a
maximum time for sedentary behaviour, while encouraging children to increase
their amount of physical activity," concluded Lopes. "We hope that
our findings will make a valuable contribution to the debate on child health
and encourage future investigations on this subject."
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/893839
Image Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/893839
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