Motor Competence Levels and Prevalence of Developmental Coordination Disorder in Spanish Children: The MOVI‐KIDS Study |
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| Authors: | Santiago Amador‐Ruiz MSc David Gutierrez PhD Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno PhD MD Roberto Gulías‐González PhD María J Pardo‐Guijarro PhD Mairena Sánchez-López PhD |
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| Institution: | 1. Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Castilla‐La Mancha, Ronda de Calatrava, 3, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain;2. Centro de Estudios Sociosanitarios, Universidad de Castilla‐La Mancha, C/ Santa Teresa Jornet, s/n, 16071 Cuenca, Spain;3. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Avenida Pedro de Valdivia 425, 3460000 Talca, Chile;4. Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Castilla‐La Mancha, Camino Pozuelo, s/n, 16071 Cuenca, Spain;5. Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Castilla‐LaMancha, Ronda de Calatrava, 3, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain |
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| Abstract: | BACKGROUND Motor competence (MC) affects numerous aspects of children's daily life. The aims of this study were to: evaluate MC, provide population‐based percentile values for MC; and determine the prevalence of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in Spanish schoolchildren. METHODS This cross‐sectional study included 1562 children aged 4 to 6 years from Castilla‐La Mancha, Spain. MC was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children‐Second Edition. Values were analyzed according to age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), environment (rural/urban), and type of school. RESULTS Boys scored higher than girls in aiming and catching, whereas girls aged 6 scored higher than boys in balance. Children living in rural areas and those attending to public schools obtained better scores in aiming and catching than those from urban areas and private schools. The prevalence of DCD was 9.9%, and 7.5% of children were at risk of having movement problems. CONCLUSION Motor test scores can represent a valuable reference to evaluate and compare the MC in schoolchildren. Schools should identify motor problems at early ages and design initiatives which prevent or mitigate them. |
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| Keywords: | motor competence DCD developmental coordination disorder MABC‐2 movement assessment battery for children preschooler |
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