The Importance of Fundamental Movement Skill Proficiency for Physical Activity in Elementary School Age Females

Authors

  • Emily Bremer University of Ontario Institute of Technology
  • Meghann Lloyd University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Keywords:

fundamental motor skills, physical activity, females, physical education, afterschool

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between fundamental motor skills and physical activity in 6-9 year old females (n=25). Motor proficiency was assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and physical activity was measured for 7 days with time-stamped pedometers. Participants took an average of 10573.4 steps per day and had motor skills that were below what would be expected for their age. Locomotor skills were positively associated with physical activity during the weekday (r=.487, p=.013) and during the after-school period of 3-6pm (r=.431, p=.032). Given the results, physical education teachers should capitalize on the school day, as well as after-school programming, as a time to improve both the motor skills and physical activity levels of young female students in order to lay the foundation for an active, healthy life.

Author Biographies

Emily Bremer, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Emily Bremer received her BHSc (Hons) from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. She is currently funded by a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship to investigate the effectiveness of a motor skill intervention for preschool age children with autism spectrum disorder.

Meghann Lloyd, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Meghann Lloyd, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and a Research Associate at Grandview Children’s Centre in Oshawa, ON, Canada. Her research investigates the interaction of physical activity and motor behaviour in children with and without disabilities.

Downloads

Published

2014-09-04

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2014): Revue phenEPS / PHEnex Journal

Section

Feature Articles / Articles de fond

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after publication, while providing bibliographic details that credit PHENex (See The Effect of Open Access).