Dynamic Relationships Between Motor Skill Competence and Health-Related Fitness in Youth

TLDR

The study examined associations between motor skill competence and health‑related fitness in children. The authors assessed 456 children (ages 4–13) using throwing, kicking, and jumping speed measures and a composite HRF score, and analyzed associations with hierarchical regression across five age groups. Throwing and jumping were significantly associated with HRF across all ages, with associations strengthening from early to late childhood, while kicking approached significance and jumping associations varied by age, indicating that motor skill competence relates dynamically to health‑related fitness during development.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined associations among motor skill competence (MSC) and health-related fitness (HRF) in youth. A convenient sample of 253 boys and 203 girls (aged 4–13 years) participated in the study. Associations among measures of MSC (throwing and kicking speed and standing long jump distance) and a composite measure of HRF (push-ups, curl-ups, grip strength and PACER test) across five age groups (4–5, 6–7, 8–9, 10–11 and 12–13 yrs.) were assessed using hierarchical regression modeling. When including all children, throwing and jumping were significantly associated with the composite HRF factor for both boys and girls (throw, t = 5.33; jump, t = 4.49) beyond the significant age effect ( t = 4.98) with kicking approaching significance ( t = 1.73, p = .08). Associations between throwing and kicking speed and HRF appeared to increase from early to middle to late childhood age ranges. Associations between jumping and HRF were variable across age groups. These results support the notion that the relationship between MSC and HRF performance are dynamic and may change across childhood. These data suggest that the development of object control skills in childhood may be important for the development and maintenance of HRF across childhood and into adolescence.