Do good motor skills promote fitness?

BOWLING GREEN, O.—A number of factors determine the level of people's physical activity across their lifetimes, including how competent they feel in performing physical activities, their weight, their environment and their activity history. But another, perhaps more important, component that has not been adequately studied is their actual motor skill set, say a group of Bowling Green State University kinesiologists.

“We believe there's an underlying relationship between motor skill competence, fitness and physical activity,” said Dr. David Stodden, an assistant professor. “We are trying to understand how all these factors are related using a more holistic theoretical model, and then we may be able to intervene to help people be more physically fit and active.”

As the nation experiences an alarming increase in the number of people who are dangerously overweight, with all the attendant health problems, “the emphasis has been on physical activity and fitness,” Stodden said. “But we think people also need a degree of skillfulness that allows them to participate.” Children's obesity rates are increasing even more than adults', he added, and even to play, “you need to be coordinated.”

Dr. Stodden, along with Dr. Stephen Langendorfer, BGSU professor emeritus Mary Ann Roberton, graduate student Shakira Adams of Findlay, and collaborator Dr. Jacqueline Goodway, a motor development specialist at Ohio State University, are convinced it is not simply how competent one feels, but how competent one actually is that makes the crucial difference in willingness to participate in physical activity. Their study is among the first to look at these factors across the lifespan and to attempt to measure motor skills more accurately.

Fundamental motor skills learned in early childhood

People begin to learn a group of motor skills known as fundamental motor skills in early childhood. These include running, skipping, galloping, hopping, sliding and leaping, and throwing, catching, bouncing, kicking, striking and rolling.

“For adults deciding to participate in any physical activity, it's similar to the New Year's resolution,” according to Langendorfer, an associate professor. “You tend to get a high degree of attrition over time. We know from research that it takes about 16 weeks for people to develop an exercise habit. People often don't persist in continuing to exercise because they haven't reached the point where their body's physiology can meet the demands of the activity—and this is probably especially true if one is not particularly skillful in movement.

“The more skilled you are at an activity, the more energy efficient and effective you are and the easier and more pleasurable it is to do. There's also the psychological boost of knowing you're doing it well,” he added.

The researchers predict the link between well-developed, efficient motor skills and continued physical activity—and in turn, physical fitness—will strengthen over the lifespan.

They have hypothesized a “positive spiral of engagement,” in which actual motor competence is reflected in individuals' positive perceptions of their motor competence, leading to more participation in physical activity, which will lessen their risk of obesity and increase their likelihood of maintaining a healthy weight.

Testing the theory

To test their theory, they are conducting a series of assessments to gather empirical data. So far, they have completed hundreds of evaluations of people of various age groups using simple measures of skill in long jumping, throwing and kicking. These all require a certain amount of power, coordination and skill, Stodden said.

“We don't expect a strong relationship in younger elementary schoolchildren,” Stodden said. “They equate effort with success, and as parents we always praise them for whatever they do. But when they reach the age of about 7-9, they are objective enough to see when others are more skillful, and they may begin to withdraw from activity if they understand they are not as skilled as their peers.”

Pilot data on 253 children ages 5-14 seem to bear out the researchers' predictions. As reported in a paper accepted for publication by the journal Quest, the children's scores did not significantly predict physical fitness for 5- to 8-year-olds, but throwing and jumping did predict significant fitness variance in those ages 9-14.

The developmental approach is novel, the researchers say, and draws heavily upon Roberton's groundbreaking developmental sequence research.

Measuring these factors in varying age groups has already yielded some important results, they report in another paper accepted for publication. Data suggest up to 79 percent of health-related physical fitness in 18-25-year-old adults can be predicted by how well individuals jump, throw and kick.

Volunteers sought for study

Currently, the group is seeking more people ages 35-55 for their study.

“We're looking at how fit you are now and how much skill you have,” Stodden said. In exchange for being assessed, participants will receive a free fitness and motor skill assessment. Those interested in participating in the study may contact Shakira Adams at sradams_bg@yahoo.com to schedule an appointment.

The work has been supported by a $30,000, three-year grant from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. The team also has applied for funding from the National Institutes of Health.

“If this relationship is truly there, our next step will be to intervene to see whether we can promote higher levels of activity and fitness by improving motor skills,” Stodden said. “This certainly could make the case for strong, daily physical education programs that promote skillfulness and fitness in all our schools.”

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Media Contacts : For an interview with Dr. David Stodden, email dfstodd@bgsu.edu, or call Bonnie Blankinship, Marketing and Communications, at 419-372-2618.

(Posted February 14, 2008 )