Childhood movement skills: predictors of physical activity in Anglo American and Mexican American adolescents?

We assessed the relationship between young children's movement skills and their physical activity in early adolescence. Balance, agility, eye-hand coordination, and skinfold thicknesses in 207 Mexican American and Anglo American children (104 boys, 103 girls) were measured at ages 4, 5, and 6 years. Habitual physical activity was assessed at the age of 12 years by two interviewer-administered 7-day recalls. Ethnic differences in movement skills were not found. Young girls were better at jumping and balancing, and young boys were better at catching. Tracking of skills was low, and children's early childhood skills were not related to their physical activity 6 years later. Further studies involving additional movement skills and other populations are recommended to determine if enhanced movement skills in children promote subsequent physical activity.

Tracking dietary intake in white and Mexican-American children from age 4 to 12 years.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the tracking (ie, the stability over time) of dietary intake in Mexican-American and white children aged 4 to 12 years. SUBJECTS: Children 4 years of age (n=351) were assessed at baseline and 65% (n=228) completed the 8-year study. DESIGN: Cardiovascular disease-related dietary intake was defined as energy, percent of energy from fat, and sodium (mg/1,000 kcal). From age 4 to 7 years, a modified 24-hour recall with observation of lunch and dinner and interview of the primary food preparer for unobserved foods was used to describe dietary intake. For children aged 11 to 12 years, a standardized 24-hour recall was used. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: A mixed effects model that adjusted for sex, ethnicity, and measurement wave allowed for separation of shorter-term variations in diet from more stable ("between subject") variations. Extent of between-subject variance is an indication of tracking. RESULTS: From age 4 to age 7, there were statistically significant between-subject variance components for energy (P<.00001), percent of energy from fat (P<.00001), and sodium per 1,000 kcals (P<.001); for ages 11 and 12, energy intake was significant (P<.00001). There were no significant associations for dietary intake from age 4 to 12 years. CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATIONS: It seems that dietary intakes are stable over short periods and at earlier ages compared with longer intervals and later ages. Nutrition interventions are needed in childhood and throughout adolescence.