Effect of Motor Competence and Health-Related Fitness in the Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors.

Purpose: In the last decades we have seen an increase in sedentary behaviors and a decrease in physical activity in children when compared to past generations. This lifestyle is commonly associated with the development of clustering risk factors that define metabolic syndrome (MetS). Knowing that motor competence (MC) development can influence lifelong physical activity habits, it is reasonable to assume that children's MC will directly link to clustered cardiometabolic health outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of MC in MetS risk factors. Methods: Seventy children with a mean age of 7.49 (SD = 1.28) years were evaluated on motor competence (MCA-Motor Competence Assessment instrument), cardiovascular fitness (PACER test), upper body strength (UBS; handgrip), and the components of MetS, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, abdominal obesity, low concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high fasting blood glucose. The composite value of MetS was calculated according to Burns et al. (2017). Multiple standard regressions were performed to explore the effect of different variables on MetS. Motor competence and health-related fitness (cardiovascular fitness and relative upper body strength) were used as independent variables (predictors) and MetS as dependent variable. Results: Overall, the results showed that motor competence (ß = -.072; p < .05) is a significant predictor and this model explained 7,1% of the variance in MetS. Conclusion: Although more studies are needed, our results indicate that MC seems to have a positive role in children's health markers.

This study aimed to analyze the role of MC, cardiorespiratory fitness, and upper body strength in MetS risk factors.The results suggest that upper body strength is the strongest predictor for MetS (negative association), followed by MC (positive association).When the different MC components were entered independently instead of total MC, the upper body strength and locomotor MC were found to be significant predictors of the MetS behavior.Considering our results and the fact that MC levels during childhood positively influence PA levels along lifespan, this study suggests a pathway to follow in future research.

"Profiles of motor competence and its perception accuracy among children: Association with physical fitness and body fat".

The main goals of this study were to identify profiles in school-aged children based on actual Motor Competence (MC) and accuracy of Perceived Motor Competence (PMC) and to examine how children with different profiles differ in terms of Physical Fitness (PF) and Body Fat percentage (BF%). The MC of a total of 287 children (51.6% boys, aged between 6 and 10 years-old) was assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) instrument, and the accuracy of the PMC was measured using motor tasks (standing long jump, throwing, kicking, and walking backwards). PF and BF% were assessed using the 20m shuttle run test and TANITA, respectively. Cluster (C) analysis revealed four profiles, two of which were aligned - high MC-accurate PMC (C4) and low-inaccurate (C2), and two that were non-aligned - high-inaccurate (C1) and low-accurate (C3). Children in C4 performed better on PF and had less BF% than children in C3 and C2.

Potential relevance of a motor skill "proficiency barrier" on health-related fitness in youth.

This study investigated the potential impact of a motor skill proficiency barrier on measures of cardiorespiratory (CRF) and musculoskeletal (MSF) fitness in youth. A sample of 241 youth (114 girls) aged 10 - 18 years, completed the Motor Competence Assessment battery with composite scores indexed according to age- and gender-adjusted percentile scores. Motor competence (MC) levels were categorized as low (≤ 25%tile - proficiency barrier), moderate (≥ 26%tile to < 75%tile), and high (≥ 75%tile). CRF levels (Health Risk, Needs Improvement, and Healthy) were assessed using the Fitnessgram® 20 m PACER test. Low (≤ 20%tile), moderate (≥ 21%tile to ≤ 80%tile), and high (≥ 80%tile) MSF levels were assessed using grip strength normative data. Two 3 × 3 chi-square tests were conducted to determine the probability of MC level predicting CRF and MSF levels. Results demonstrated statistically significant models for performance on both the PACER (χ2[4, N = 241] = 22.65, p < .001) and grip strength (χ2[4, N = 241] = 23.95, p < .001). Strong evidence of a proficiency barrier impacting CRF was noted, as no low skilled youth met the "Healthy" fitness zone standards for PACER performance. Evidence supporting a barrier with grip strength was not as strong, as 20.8% of youth exhibiting low MC displayed high grip strength. However, all individuals with high levels of MC demonstrated at least moderate grip strength. Results emphasize the importance of developing MC during childhood as it may provide a protective effect against unhealthy CRF and MSF across youth.HighlightsThese data support the notion of Seefeldt's (1980) proficiency barrier as it relates to CRF, as no youth demonstrating low MC met the healthy fitness zone criteria for PACER performance. The development of MC may both directly and indirectly provide a protective effect against unhealthy CRF levels across childhood and adolescence.Evidence supporting a proficiency barrier with MSF as measured by grip strength was not as strong; however, all individuals with high levels of MC demonstrated at least moderate grip strength. Thus, the development of MC may be a protective factor to mitigate low levels of MSF via enhanced neuromuscular function.Promoting the development of MC in a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and settings (e.g. MC skills practice, structured and unstructured play, and performance contexts) is important to promote positive trajectories of CRF and MSF across childhood and adolescence.

Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) Scoring Method.

The Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) is a quantitative test battery that assesses motor competence across the whole lifespan. It is composed of three sub-scales: locomotor, stability, and manipulative, each of them assessed by two different objectively measured tests. The MCA construct validity for children and adolescents, having normative values from 3 to 23 years of age, and the configural invariance between age groups, were recently established. The aim of this study is to expand the MCA's development and validation by defining the best and leanest method to score and classify MCA sub-scales and total score. One thousand participants from 3 to 22 years of age, randomly selected from the Portuguese database on MC, participated in the study. Three different procedures to calculate the sub-scales and total MCA values were tested according to alternative models. Results were compared to the reference method, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, Cronbach's Alpha, and Bland-Altman statistics were used to describe agreement between the three methods. The analysis showed no substantial differences between the three methods. Reliability values were perfect (0.999 to 1.000) for all models, implying that all the methods were able to classify everyone in the same way. We recommend implementing the most economic and efficient algorithm, i.e., the configural model algorithm, averaging the percentile scores of the two tests to assess each MCA sub-scale and total scores.

The Developmental Trajectory of Motor Competence of Children That Lived the COVID-19 Confinement Period: A Four-Year Follow-Up Study in Portuguese Children.

Children's motor competence (MC) was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, possible chronic effects have not been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the possible impact of the forced lack of physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 lockdown on children's MC two years later. The motor competence of sixty-seven healthy children (7.4−12.2 years old) was assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA). All participants completed the MCA tests at two different moments (before and after the COVID-19 lockdown), four years apart. The mean values after the COVID-19 lockdown for all participants on the subscales and on the Total MCA are lower, but no significant changes were found when controlling for gender and age (p > 0.05 in all analyses). However, a significant decrease was found in the Locomotor subscale in boys (p = 0.003). After dividing the participants into three age groups, the youngest also suffered a decrease in the Locomotor subscale (p < 0.001) and their Total MCA (p = 0.04). In addition, those participants who had a higher MC at baseline decreased their scores for the Locomotor (p < 0.001) and Manipulative (p < 0.001) subscales, and for the Total MCA (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the younger children and the more motor proficient did not fully recover from the negative effects of the pandemic lockdown after two years.

Further development of the Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren: standardized version and scoring system / Desenvolvimento adicional do Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren: versão estandardizada e sistema de pontuação

Mapping and evaluating regular contexts that schoolchildren attend is of great importance to un-derstanding motor behavior. This communication aims to present the scoring system and standardi-zation of the Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren (AMBS), recently presented to the scientific and educational community. The AMBS was developed to assess children's interdependent systems, such as home, school, and sports activities, that can influence 6 to 10-year-olds' motor devel-opment, motor learning, and motor competence. The questionnaire was completed by 377 Brazilian families. Raw scores of each of the three subscales (home, materials, and school) were transformed into standard scores, ranging from very low to very high. AMBS subscales were classified as very low (1st quartile), low (2nd quartile), good (3rd quartile), and very good (4th quartile). The AMBS total raw score is a result of the sum of the three subscales standard scores and can be classified into three categories, ranging from a low to a high AMBS. Thus, AMBS total scores were classified as low (1st tercile), average (2nd tercile), and high (3rd tercile). We expect that raw and standard scores of the AMBS can be used by researchers, parents, and clinical/education professionals to assess children's affordances for motor behavior

Mapear e avaliar os contextos regulares que escolares frequentam é de grande importância para a com-preensão do comportamento motor. Esta comunicação tem como objetivo apresentar o sistema de pontuação e padronização do Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren (AMBS), recentemente apresentado à comunidade científica e educacional. O AMBS foi desenvolvido para avaliar os sistemas interdependentes das crianças, como casa, escola e atividades esportivas, que podem influenciar o desenvolvimento motor, a aprendizagem motora e a competência motora de crianças de 6 a 10 anos. O questionário foi respondido por 377 famílias brasileiras. As pontuações brutas de cada uma das três subescalas (casa, materiais e escola) foram transformados em pontuações padrão, variando de muito baixo a muito alto. As subescalas AMBS foram classificadas em muito baixo (1º quartil), baixo (2º quartil), bom (3º quartil) e muito bom (4º quartil). A pontuação bruta total do AMBS é resultado da soma das pontuações padrão das três subescalas e pode ser classificada em três categorias, variando de um AMBS baixo a alto. Assim, os escores totais da AMBS foram classificados em baixo (1º tercil), médio (2º tercil) e alto (3º tercil). Esperamos que as pontuações brutas e padrão da AMBS possam ser utilizadas por pesquisadores, pais e profissionais clínicos/educacionais para avaliar as affordances das crianças visando melhor entendimento do comportamento motor

Correction to: Effects of COVID-19 Confinement on the Household Routines of Children in Portugal.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10826-021-01961-z.].

Do children's previous physical activity habits influence their behaviors during the Covid-19 social distancing period?

OBJECTIVE: Verify whether the practice of physical activity, before the social distancing imposed by COVID-19, influences children's routines during this period, in children of different ages. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study carried out with an online questionnaire from LimeSurvey and disseminated for four months during social distancing. The questionnaire contained questions about family composition, household characteristics, household and children's routines, including habits such as sleeping, physical activity, intellectual activity, playing with and without physical activity, and screen time. The final sample consisted of 916 participating families that answered about the physical activity habits of their respective children before the pandemic. Children were divided into three age groups (three to five years, six to nine years, and ten to twelve years). Independent Student's t-tests were performed to investigate whether the previous practice of scheduled physical activity group and the no physical activity group differed as to the time dedicated to children's activities and routines (intellectual activity, sleeping, screen time, playing with and without physical activity), by age groups, during social distancing. RESULTS: There was a decrease in the levels of physical activity undertaken by Brazilian children during social distancing. There was no difference when both groups. The children with previous practice of scheduled physical activity did not display different habits from the children who did not adopt this practice. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of physical activity before social distancing did not influence the level of physical activity and other habits during social distancing. Healthy habits should be encouraged and targeted for all children during the pandemic. These findings can contribute to the formulation of public policies for children during pandemic times.

Do children's previous physical activity habits influence their behaviors during the Covid-19 social distancing period? / Hábitos prévios de atividade física influenciam o comportamento de crianças durante o distanciamento social por covid-19?

Abstract Objective: Verify whether the practice of physical activity, before the social distancing imposed by COVID-19, influences children's routines during this period, in children of different ages. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study carried out with an online questionnaire from LimeSurvey and disseminated for four months during social distancing. The questionnaire contained questions about family composition, household characteristics, household and children's routines, including habits such as sleeping, physical activity, intellectual activity, playing with and without physical activity, and screen time. The final sample consisted of 916 participating families that answered about the physical activity habits of their respective children before the pandemic. Children were divided into three age groups (three to five years, six to nine years, and ten to twelve years). Independent Student's t-tests were performed to investigate whether the previous practice of scheduled physical activity group and the no physical activity group differed as to the time dedicated to children's activities and routines (intellectual activity, sleeping, screen time, playing with and without physical activity), by age groups, during social distancing. Results: There was a decrease in the levels of physical activity undertaken by Brazilian children during social distancing. There was no difference when both groups. The children with previous practice of scheduled physical activity did not display different habits from the children who did not adopt this practice. Conclusions: The practice of physical activity before social distancing did not influence the level of physical activity and other habits during social distancing. Healthy habits should be encouraged and targeted for all children during the pandemic. These findings can contribute to the formulation of public policies for children during pandemic times.

Resumo Objetivo: Verificar se a prática de atividade física antes do distanciamento social imposto pela COVID-19 influencia a rotina de crianças de diferentes faixas etárias durante esse período. Métodos: Estudo transversal descritivo realizado com base em um questionário online do LimeSurvey e divulgado por quatro meses durante o distanciamento social. O questionário continha perguntas sobre a composição familiar, características domiciliares, rotinas domésticas e infantis, incluindo hábitos como sono, atividade física, atividade intelectual, lazer com e sem atividade física e tempo de tela. Participaram da amostra final 916 famílias, as quais responderam sobre os hábitos de atividade física de seus filhos antes da pandemia. As crianças foram divididas em 3 faixas etárias (3-5 anos, 6-9 anos e 10-12 anos). Testes t de Student independentes foram realizados para investigar se os grupos que praticavam e não praticavam atividade física programada anteriormente diferiam quanto ao tempo dedicado às atividades e rotinas infantis (atividade intelectual, sono, tempo de tela, lazer com e sem atividade física), por faixa etária, durante o distanciamento social. Resultados: Houve diminuição da atividade física de crianças brasileiras durante o distanciamento social. Não houve diferença entre os grupos. Crianças que praticavam atividade física programada anteriormente não apresentaram hábitos diferentes daquelas que não adotavam essa prática. Conclusões: A prática de atividade física antes do distanciamento social não influenciou o nível de atividade física e outros hábitos das crianças durante esse período. Hábitos saudáveis devem ser estimulados e direcionados a todas as crianças ao longo da pandemia. Esses achados podem contribuir para a elaboração de políticas públicas para crianças em períodos de pandemia.

Relationship between the Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren (AMBS) and Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) in Brazilian Children.

During growth, children are influenced by an extensive network, in which more favorable contexts provide better affordance landscapes, and consequently have a better potential to foster child development. We aimed to examine the affordances provided to children using the Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren (AMBS) tool, estimating its association with children's motor competence, as assessed by the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) battery. Seventy-two Brazilian children were evaluated using the MCA instrument. Their parents/guardians completed the AMBS. The correlations between the two instruments (sub-scales and total scores) were investigated. ANOVAs were used to compare the motor competence performance of children with Low, Average, and High AMBS scores. Positive associations were found between AMBS and MCA, although weak to moderate in nature. In addition, children whose environments were richer in motor affordances (higher AMBS scores) showed significantly higher levels on the MCA. This study provides evidence that AMBS is a valid tool for assessing motor affordances for schoolchildren, and that those affordances are related to children's motor competence.

Wearables and Internet of Things (IoT) Technologies for Fitness Assessment: A Systematic Review.

Wearable and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in sports open a new era in athlete's training, not only for performance monitoring and evaluation but also for fitness assessment. These technologies rely on sensor systems that collect, process and transmit relevant data, such as biomarkers and/or other performance indicators that are crucial to evaluate the evolution of the athlete's condition, and therefore potentiate their performance. This work aims to identify and summarize recent studies that have used wearables and IoT technologies and discuss its applicability for fitness assessment. A systematic review of electronic databases (WOS, CCC, DIIDW, KJD, MEDLINE, RSCI, SCIELO, IEEEXplore, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane and Web of Science) was undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. From the 280 studies initially identified, 20 were fully examined in terms of hardware and software and their applicability for fitness assessment. Results have shown that wearable and IoT technologies have been used in sports not only for fitness assessment but also for monitoring the athlete's internal and external workloads, employing physiological status monitoring and activity recognition and tracking techniques. However, the maturity level of such technologies is still low, particularly with the need for the acquisition of more-and more effective-biomarkers regarding the athlete's internal workload, which limits its wider adoption by the sports community.

Learning to Cycle: Are Physical Activity and Birth Order Related to the Age of Learning How to Ride a Bicycle?

The present article aimed to verify whether the age at which children learn to ride a bicycle is related to their physical activity or birth order. Data were collected from an online structured survey between November 2019 and June 2020. A total of 8614 responses were obtained from 22 countries. The results reveal significant differences in learning age depending on the frequency of physical activity (F(5, 7235) = 35.12, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.24). People who engaged in physical activity less than twice a month learned to cycle later (M = 7.5 ± 5.3 years) than people who engaged in physical activity on a daily basis (M = 5.7 ± 2.2 years) (p < 0.001). There were also significant differences in learning age according to birth order (F(2, 3008) = 7.31, p = 0.00, ηp2 = 0.005). Only children had the highest learning age (M = 5.5 ± 2.4 years), whereas those who were born last had the lowest, (M = 5.1 ± 1.9 years) (p = 0.013). Creating opportunities for children to be engaged in play and physical activity and social modulation through their older siblings seem to be key conditions to encourage children to learn how to ride a bicycle from a young age and to foster their motor development.

Effects of COVID-19 Confinement on the Household Routines Of Children in Portugal.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 disease (COVID-19) was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March, 2020. Since then, physical distancing measures such as confinement have been adopted by different governments to control human to human transmission. This study aimed to determine how confinement affects children's routines, more specifically their physical activity (PA) and sedentary time. An online survey was launched to assess how Portuguese children under 13 years of age adjusted their daily routines to confinement. Parents reported the time each child was engaged in different activities throughout the day, which was used to calculate overall sedentary time and overall physical activity time. Based on the data of 2159 children, our study showed that during confinement: (i) there was a decrease in children's physical activity time and an increase in screen time and family activities; (ii) boys engaged in more playful screen Time than girls (p < 0.05), and girls played more without PA than boys (p < 0.05); (iii) along the age groups, there was a trend for an increase of the overall sedentary time and an associated decrease of the overall physical activity time. In summary, PA of confined children showed low levels and a clear decreasing trend along childhood. Conjoint family and societal strategies to target specific age groups should be organized in the future.

Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Portuguese Children's Motor Competence.

During long periods without school, children are more susceptible to unhealthy behaviors, such as an increase in sedentary behaviors, which has a negative impact on children's motor competence (MC). The COVID-19 lockdown offered us a unique opportunity to test, in a quasi-experimental setting, the impact of lockdown movement restrictions on children's MC. We assessed the motor competence of 114 children aged 6-9 years using the motor competence assessment. All children were tested before and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Chi-square and 2 × 2 ANOVA (sex by moment) were used to further analyze the data. Regardless of sex, motor performances in all tests (except for jumping sideways in boys) were lower when compared with performances before lockdown. There was a marked decreasing trend in children's levels of MC, shifting from an upper to a lower quartile in different tests. The results after the lockdown were always significantly inferior to the results before lockdown in all motor tests (except jumping sideways), in the three components of MC, and in global MC. Children's global MC score decreased by an average of 13 points in boys and 16 points in girls. The imposed movement restrictions had a negative effect on children's motor competence development.

Motor Competence Assessment - adaptação cultural para o Brasil (MCA-BR) / Motor Competence Assessment - adaptación cultural para Brasil (MCA-BR) / Motor Competence Assessment - cultural adaptation for Brazil (MCA-BR)

RESUMO Adaptou-se para o português do Brasil o Motor Competence Assessment (MCA). Dois profissionais proficientes em português do Brasil traduziram, de forma independente, o MCA para a língua portuguesa (T1 e T2). Em seguida, gerou-se a versão traduzida de consenso (TU). Dois tradutores realizaram duas retroversões para português de Portugal (RT1 e RT2) da versão TU. Um novo processo de consenso entre tradutores e pesquisadores resultou em uma versão em português de Portugal (RTfinal), que foi comparada à versão original em busca de possíveis diferenças semânticas. A versão do instrumento em português do Brasil (TU), denominada "Avaliação da Competência Motora", foi revisada por uma comissão de especialistas composta por um fisioterapeuta e dois educadores físicos para verificação do conteúdo, o que gerou a segunda versão de concordância (Tfinal). A Tfinal foi encaminhada a um dos autores da avaliação original para verificar a pertinência da versão em português do Brasil. Após essa etapa, 20 fisioterapeutas e 20 educadores físicos verificaram a aplicabilidade da avaliação. O MCA foi, então, adaptado culturalmente para o Brasil, sendo um instrumento relevante dado que ele avalia a competência motora sem limite de idade, podendo auxiliar no acompanhamento do desenvolvimento motor de indivíduos.

RESUMEN Se adaptó al portugués brasileño la Motor Competence Assessment (MCA). Dos profesionales con dominio del portugués brasileño tradujeron de forma independiente la MCA al portugués (T1 y T2). Luego, se generó una versión traducida por consenso (TU). Dos traductores realizaron dos retrotraducciones al portugués de Portugal (RT1 y RT2) de la versión TU. Un nuevo proceso de consenso entre traductores e investigadores dio como resultado una versión al portugués de Portugal (RTfinal), que se comparó con la versión original en busca de posibles diferencias semánticas. La versión del instrumento en portugués brasileño (TU), denominada "Evaluación de la Competencia Motora", fue revisada por un comité de especialistas compuesto por un fisioterapeuta y dos educadores físicos para verificar el contenido, lo que generó la segunda versión de acuerdo (Tfinal). La Tfinal fue enviada a uno de los autores de la evaluación original para verificar la relevancia de la versión al portugués brasileño. Luego, 20 fisioterapeutas y 20 educadores físicos verificaron la aplicabilidad de la evaluación. Así la MCA tuvo adaptación cultural para Brasil y resulta ser un instrumento relevante para evaluar la competencia motora sin límite de edad y ayudar en el seguimiento del desarrollo motor de los individuos.

ABSTRACT We adapted the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) to Brazilian Portuguese. Two professionals proficient in Brazilian Portuguese independently translated the MCA into the Portuguese language (T1 and T2). Then, the translated version of consensus (TU) was generated. Two translators performed two back-translations in European Portuguese (BT1 and BT2) of the TU version. A new consensus process between translators and researchers resulted in a European Portuguese version (BTfinal), which was compared to the original version in search of possible semantic differences. A committee of experts, composed of a physical therapist and two physical educators to verify the content, reviewed the version of the instrument in Brazilian Portuguese (TU), called "Avaliação da Competência Motora," which generated the second version of agreement (Tfinal). We sent the Tfinal to one of the authors of the original evaluation to verify the relevance of the Brazilian Portuguese version. After this step, 20 physical therapists and 20 physical educators verified the applicability of the evaluation model. The MCA was then culturally adapted for Brazil. It is a relevant instrument as it evaluates motor competence without age limit, and can assist in monitoring the motor development of individuals.

Motor Competence in Children With and Without Ambliopia.

The purpose of this study was to assess the motor competence of children with and without amblyopia. Study participants were 165 primary school children, aged 6-9 years, divided into three groups based on their visual acuity with the Snellen chart: (a) non-amblyopia, (b) corrected amblyopia, and (c) non-corrected amblyopia. We assessed the children's motor competence with the Motor Competence Assessment battery (MCA) and their physical activity with the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The non-amblyopia group presented significantly better motor competence on the MCA than either the corrected amblyopia group or the non-corrected amblyopia group; there were no statistically significant motor differences between the two amblyopia subgroups. Amblyopia versus non-amblyopia differences on the MCA were mainly in stability and locomotor components, involving dynamic balance and the change of spatial position and direction of movement, but not in the manipulative component (ball throwing velocity and ball kicking velocity). Predictably, from within an integrated visual motor perspective of child development, our findings suggest that intact vision played an important role in children's motor competence. The development of fundamental motor skills, especially of stability and locomotor skills, may be affected by poor visual processing in that participants with uncorrected amblyopia showed poor movement accuracy, uncoordinated movement, and impaired balance.

Covid-19 social isolation in brazil: effects on the physical activity routine of families with children / Distanciamento social covid-19 no brasil: efeitos sobre a rotina de atividade física de famílias com crianças

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify how Brazilian families with children aged under 13 years face the period of social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially regarding the time spent on physical activity (PA), intellectual activity, games, outdoor activities and screen. Methods: An anonymous online survey was launched on March 24, 2020 in Brazil to assess how families with children aged up to 12 years are adjusting their daily routines to this situation. In the survey, each family reported the daily time each child spent in sedentary activity (sum of intellectual activities, play time on screen, playing without PA) and PA (sum of playing with PA and PA). Results: The main findings based on data from 816 children indicate that most parents consider there was a reduction in the time that children spend practicing PA; increase in screen play time and family activities, differences between sex were found regarding screen play time (boys>girls) and in playing without PA (girls>boys), and there was an age effect for all categories analyzed, with a tendency to increase the total time of sedentary lifestyle and complementary reducing the time of PA over age. Conclusions: The household routines of families during the period of social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic confirm the general reduction tendency in PA time during childhood.

RESUMO Objetivo: Identificar como as famílias brasileiras com crianças abaixo de 13 anos enfrentam o período de distanciamento social decorrente da pandemia de COVID-19, principalmente no que diz respeito ao tempo gasto em atividade física (AF), atividade intelectual, brincadeiras, atividades ao ar livre e em tela. Métodos: Uma pesquisa on-line anônima foi lançada em 24 de março de 2020 no Brasil para avaliar como as famílias com crianças de até 12 anos estão ajustando suas rotinas diárias a essa situação. Na pesquisa, cada família relatou o tempo diário em que cada criança esteve envolvida em atividade sedentária (somatório de atividades intelectuais, tempo lúdico de tela, brincar sem AF) e AF (somatório do brincar com AF e da AF). Resultados: Os principais achados com base em dados de 816 crianças indicam que a maioria dos pais considera que houve redução no tempo em que as crianças passam praticando AF e aumento do tempo lúdico de tela e das atividades em família. Diferenças entre o sexo foram encontradas no tempo lúdico de tela (meninos>meninas) e no brincar sem AF (meninas>meninos), bem como efeito da idade para todas as categorias analisadas, com tendência para aumento do tempo total de sedentarismo e diminuição complementar do tempo de AF ao longo da idade. Conclusões: As rotinas domiciliares das famílias durante o período de distanciamento social decorrente da pandemia de COVID-19 confirmam a tendência geral decrescente do tempo de AF na infância.

Influences of family and household characteristics on children's level of physical activity during social distancing due to covid-19 in brazil / Influências das características familiares e domiciliares no nível de atividade física infantil durante o distanciamento social por covid-19 no brasil

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate if the variables child's sex, age, presence of siblings, parents working remotely, and external space affect the level of physical activity (PA) of Brazilian children during social distancing imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online questionnaire was applied by the LimeSurvey software from March to April 2020. Children were divided into four age groups, and the questionnaire comprised questions on family and household characteristics, domestic and children's routines in the period of Brazilian social distancing. Based on the answers concerning children's activities, the following variable was created: percentage of physical activity (%PA) in one-day period. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were performed to investigate the effect of demographic and parental activities on %PA. Results: The %PA decreases with increasing age, but increases with the availability of external space at home. No significant or interaction effects were observed for other variables. Age and external space at home are predictors of %PA. Conclusions: Household and personal characteristics of Brazilian children influence the level of physical activity performed by them during social distancing. Preventive measures can be adopted in the face of another similar period.

RESUMO Objetivo: Investigar se as variáveis sexo da criança, idade, presença de irmãos, pais trabalhando de maneira remota e espaço externo afetam o nível de atividade física das crianças brasileiras durante o distanciamento social por COVID-19. Métodos: Aplicou-se questionário online pelo LimeSurvey, em março e abril de 2020, sobre características familiares e habitacionais, rotinas domésticas e infantis no período de distanciamento social brasileiro, sendo as crianças divididas em quatro grupos etários. Com base nas atividades infantis realizadas, criou-se a porcentagem de atividade física (%AF) em relação ao período de um dia e foi desenvolvida análise de variância para investigar o efeito das variáveis na %AF, além de análise de regressão. Resultados: A %AF diminui conforme o aumento da idade, mas aumenta com a disponibilidade de espaço externo no domicílio. Não houve efeito significativo para as demais variáveis, tampouco efeito de interação. A idade e o espaço externo ao domicílio são preditores da %AF. Conclusões: Características habitacionais e pessoais das crianças brasileiras influenciam o nível de atividade física realizada por elas durante o distanciamento social. Medidas preventivas podem ser empregadas caso haja necessidade de outro período semelhante.

Cross-cultural comparisons of motor competence in southern Brazilian and Portuguese schoolchildren

Abstract Aim: This study aimed to compare the MC levels of Brazilian and Portuguese schoolchildren from 4 to 11 years. Methods: One hundred and forty-eight Brazilian children were evaluated using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) instrument and were later compared to the existent normative values of Portuguese children for a similar age range. Results: Our findings showed that MC increased with age, and boys outperformed girls, especially in the older age group. The distribution of the Brazilian children showed that while Brazilian boys perform above Portuguese normative values in 4 of the 6 tasks of the MCA, Brazilian girls perform below those values in all tasks, except for the standing long jump. Conclusion: The differences found, especially in girls, may be related to differences in the Physical Education curricula and how school recess periods are used.