Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v23i3.4480
Relationship between the Body Mass Index, Motor Skills, and Physical Activity of Early Elementary School Pupils
Ivana Nikolić
orcid.org/0000-0001-7200-0286
; Faculty of Teacher Education University of Zagreb Savska cesta 77, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Snježana Mraković
; Faculty of Teacher Education University of Zagreb Savska cesta 77, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The aim of this research was to determine gender differences in the body mass
index, motor skills, and physical activity among early elementary school pupils
and their correlation. The TGMD-2 test was applied on a sample of 127 secondgrade
elementary school pupils (65 boys and 62 girls) to assess motor skills, while
physical activity was examined using the Fels questionnaire. The body mass index
was calculated based on body height and weight. Gender differences were calculated
using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test, and the correlation was calculated
using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The predictive value of the body mass
index, locomotor, and manipulative skills based on total physical activity was
calculated with the backward stepwise regression approach. According to normative
values of the motor development index, the participants in this research showed
an average result. The results indicate significant differences in favor of boys in
manipulative skills, while no significant differences were obtained in locomotor
skills, overall motor development, and the body mass index. Significant correlation
of the body mass index was obtained only in girls, and it indicates a low negative
correlation with the leisure time index (r = -0.29) and total physical activity (r =
-0.29), and a moderately negative correlation with locomotor skills (r = -0.39) and
the overall index of motor development (r = -0.35). The correlations between motor
skills and physical activity were obtained only in boys and indicated a low positive
correlation between manipulative skills and the leisure time index (r = 0.25) and
total physical activity (r = 0.27). According to the regression analysis results, the
variable’s contributions to the overall explanation of the variance are significant
but quite weak. Manipulative skills explain 7.2 % of the variance in the boys’ total
physical activity, while the body mass index explains 6 % of the total physical
activity’s variance for the girls.
Keywords
body mass index; motor skills; level of physical activity
Hrčak ID:
266850
URI
Publication date:
17.11.2021.
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