RESUMO
There is evidence of a relationship between motor and cognitive development. The literature has shown that of all the motor skills, fine motor skills are those that contribute most to mathematical performance in preschool children. As this is a sensitive period in the development of motor skills, low levels of physical activity in this period can compromise their development and contribute to weight gain and obesity. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze the relationship between mathematical and motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity. The sample consisted of 62 preschool children (32 males) with an average age of 4.63 ± 0.81. The Weschler preschool and primary scale of intelligence-revised arithmetic test was used to assess mathematical skills. The tests to assess fine motor skills were the "Adapted Threading Beads Test" and the "Adapted Visuomotor Integration Test". The movement assessment battery for children-2, band 1, "Aiming & Catching", and "Balance" tests were used to assess gross motor skills. Levels of physical activity were assessed using the "Preschool-age physical activity questionnaire" and obesity using the body mass index. The results indicated that only the fine motor skills of visuomotor integration were included in the multiple linear regression model (F < 0.001; r = 0.464; R2 = 0.215; p < 0.001), with the exclusion of gross motor skills, physical activity levels, and obesity levels. Thus, it was concluded that mathematical skills were only directly and significantly influenced by visuomotor integration. However, visuomotor integration was positively and significantly associated with gross motor skills (r = 0.269; p < 0.05) and not with levels of physical activity and obesity. Thus, gross motor skills could contribute to improving visuomotor integration directly and consequently mathematical skills indirectly. The results of this study suggest that the implementation of structured physical activity programs can contribute to mathematical performance.
RESUMO
A performance desportiva em crianças e jovens deve sempre ter em consideração os processos de crescimento, maturação(1) e a influência na taxa de crescimento dos resultados desportivos. Nesse âmbito, com este estudo, procuramos estudar a taxa de crescimento dos resultados desportivos desde a formação até à etapa de alto nível desportivo em todas as provas do calendário olímpico, tentando estabelecer relações de associação com o crescimento, maturação e treino, para as nadadoras do sexo feminino. Foi utilizada uma amostra constituída pelas nadadoras presentes nos rankings portugueses de natação durante quatro anos (1998 a 2002), num total aproximado de 6.000 dados. A taxa de crescimento dos resultados desportivos foi calculada com base no seguinte algoritmo: (tempo inicial-tempo final)/tempo inicial*100. Pela análise dos resultados relativos às taxas de crescimento (TC) dos resultados, verificamos que se verifica: (i) tendência geral da TC dos resultados aumentar dos 11 para os 12 anos e dos 14 aos 15 anos em piscina de 25m; (ii) tendência similar à verificada em piscina de 25 para a piscina de 50m, mas com tendências de crescimento superiores, quer aos 10-11 anos e 14-15 anos. Com base na análise dos resultados, concluímos que a evolução dos resultados desportivos na natação está dependente, fortemente, para além de outros, do ritmo de crescimento, desenvolvimento e maturação das nadadoras.
Children and youth sports performance should always considerer the growth and maturation processes(1), and their influence in the growth rate of results along the sports career. In this extent, the purpose of this work was to study, on one hand, the growth rate of results in all swimming events of female Olympic calendar from the initial sports education till the stage of high level performance and, on the other hand, try to establish a relationship with the growth, maturation and training process of female swimmers. For this purpose a sample constituted by female swimmers in Portuguese swimming Rankings over the last four years (1998 to 2002) in an approximately amount of 6,000 data was used. The growth rate of results (GRR) was calculated based in the following algorithm: (initial time-final time)/initial time. The results pointed out, let us conclude that: (i) a general tendency of GRR. Increasing was verified from 11 to 12 years and from 14 to 16 years in 25 m swimming pool; (ii) a similar tendency was verified in 50 m swimming pool, but with superior GRR tendencies. Those results can be explained, more than by the training process, by the growth, development and maturation process.