Variables Most Strongly Associated with Motor- and Health-Related Physical Fitness and Motor Skills in Five- to Eight-Year-Old Children: The BC-It and Examin Youth SA Studies

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA), physical fitness (PF), and motor skills (MS) play crucial roles in overall health and well-being, particularly in early childhood, when habits that affect future health are formed. Methods: This study, involving 299 children (150 boys, 149 girls, mean age 6.9 ± 0.96 years), explored the variance explained by external factors such as socioeconomic status (SES), body composition (BC), sex, and geographical location on motor-related physical fitness (MRPF) and health-related physical fitness (HRPF) in children. Using a variety of assessments, including demographics, anthropometric data, BIA, ActiGraphs, the 20 m shuttle run, 10 and 20 m speed tests, and test items from the Körperkoordinations test für Kinder (KTK) and the TGMD-2, a multiple stepwise regression analysis using SPSS (v 28.0) identified the associated factors. Results: The variables tested show modest explained variance for HRPF, MRPF, and MS, with the largest cumulative explained variance of 26.4%. The explained variances for MRPF and MS were lower (medium to small) than the significant, medium-to-large, explained variances for HRPF. Body fat percentage (BF%), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), parental education and income, and BMI emerged as substantial contributors to HRPF, explaining 12.1% to 26.4% of the variance. Sex, BF%, and quintile status were the most influential associated factors for MRPF, and for MS, BMI and sex emerged as the strongest contributors. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of holistic approaches that consider individual factors, such as MVPA, body composition (BC), PA levels, sex, and broader social and economic contexts, to promote children’s well-being. The study emphasises the need for comprehensive strategies to address the multifaceted associations with children’s physical development.