IOM Committee on Obesity Prevention
Policies for Young Children
Testimony
6.7.10
Jane E. Clark, Ph.D.
Department of Kinesiology
School of Public Health
University of Maryland, College Park
Motor Development
What is it and why does it
matter in preventing
obesity?
Motor Development defined:
¡ Change in motor behavior over the lifespan and the
processes that underlie these changes (Clark & Whitall,
1989)
So what?
¡ Why should motor development be a part of the
discussion about obesity prevention?
•End result of optimal motor development is:
• Competent “mover”
•Possible concomitant results of being competent:
• Confident “mover”
• Motivated “mover”
• A lifetime “mover”
Movement competency
defined:
¡ Has the motor skills to engage confidently in a variety of
physical activities including:
¡ Locomotor
¡ Manipulative
¡ Sports, games, exercises, and dances of the culture(s)
¡ Can solve movement problems
¡ Capable of learning new motor skills
•End result of optimal motor development:
• Competent “mover”
•Possible concomitant results of being competent:
• Confident “mover”
• Motivated “mover”
• A lifetime “mover”
THESIS:
Physical activity is an important goal –
but if walking is the only form of PA that you can
engage in – you are limited in your movement repertoire
• Motor skill competency is strong mediator of being a
physically active mover across the lifespan
Is there evidence that motor
competence may relate to
being physically active?
Yes, but….
A number of studies that have found a
positive relationship between physical activity
& motor proficiency in children
¡ Okely et al. (2001) Med Sci Sports Exerc
¡ Taylor et al. (2002) Pediatr Exerc Sci
¡ Graf et al. (2004) Int J. Obes Relat Metab Disorder
¡ Fisher et al. (2005) Med Sci Sports Exerc
¡ Raudsepp & Pall (2006) Pediatr Exerc Sci
¡ Wrotniak et al. (2006) Pediatrics
¡ Williams et al. (2008) Obesity
¡ Barnett et al. (2008) Med Sci Sports Exerc
¡ Rodrigues, Maia, & Malina (in press) Scand J Med Sci Sports
Motor proficiency related to
physical activity
¡ In 8-10 year old children (n = 65)
¡ Motor proficiency (as measured by the short form of the
Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, BOTMP)
predicted 8.7% of the variance in physical activity
(accelerometer)
¡ When looking at the children in the highest quartile of motor
proficiency were the most physically active compared with
children in lowest quartile (17.9 minutes more MVPA/per day)
¡ Children’s self-perception of their adequacy in performing
and desire to participate in PA (as measured by Children’s SelfPerceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for PA, CSAPPA)
significantly lower in those with poor motor proficiency
(though not low PA)
Wrotniak et al., (2006) Pediatrics
Does childhood motor skill proficiency
predict adolescent fitness?
¡ Longitudinal
¡ Start with over 1000 children (mean age 10, range 8-12
years)
¡ Eventually re-tested (6-7 yrs later) 276 (30% follow up rate)
¡ Motor skills (locomotor, manipulative)
¡ Cardiorespiratory fitness
¡ FINDINGS:
¡ Children with good object control skills (throwing, kicking,
catching) were associated with better cardiorespiratory
fitness for both boys and girls
¡ 26% of the variance in adolescent cardiorespiratory fitness
was explained by childhood object control proficiency
Barnett et al. (2008) Med Sci Sport & Ex
Additional evidence from those
with “low” motor skill proficiency:
¡ Those with low motor proficiency have been shown to have low
participation rates as well as low fitness including children with:
¡ developmental coordination disorder (DCD),
¡ low birth weight (LBW),
¡ low motor competence but no specific diagnosis (LMC)
¡ Studies include:
¡
¡
¡
¡
¡
¡
¡
Cairney et al (2005) Intl J of Obesity (DCD)
Faught et al. (2005) J. of Adol Health (DCD)
Hands & Larkin (2006) E. J. of Spec Needs Educ (DCD)
Schott et al (2007) Res Q Exerc Sport (DCD)
Hands (2008) J Sci Med Sport (LMC)
Haga (2009) Phys Ther (LMC)
Burns et al. (2009) Dev Med Child Neurol (LBW)
Possible role of motor competence in
physical activity engagement &
persistence
¡ Many possible explanations
¡ One that bears more attention: role of competence in
motivation to engage & persist
¡ Key component in many theories of motivation is –
Competence
¡ Examples..
¡ Harter (1978, 1981) : competence motivation
¡ Deci & Ryan (1985); Ryan & Deci (2000): Self-determination theory
¡ Key components: Satisfaction, Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness
¡ Nicholls (1989, 1990): attributions
¡ Dweck (1996, 1999): beliefs about abilities important to performance
¡ Eccles (1983): expectancy-value model
How does one
become a
competent mover?
Motor skill proficiency
¡ Complex process that includes:
¡ Movement coordination & control of a multisegmented body
¡ Planning, sequencing, anticipating
¡ Perceiving, using sensory feedback
¡ Attention & memory
¡ Strategies for moving
Mountain of Motor Development
PERIODS
Compensation
Skillful (11 yr...)
Context-Specific (7-11yr)
Fundamental Patterns
(1 - 7 yr)
Preadapted (2wk-1yr)
Reflexive (B-2wk)
--Prenatal--
Clark, 1994; Clark & Metcalfe, 2002
Reflexive Period
3rd fetal month
~ 2 weeks post-birth
Preadapted Period
~2 weeks ~ 1 year
Fundamental
Motor Patterns
Period
~1 ~ 7 years
Fundamental
Patterns Period
• This is the period where the gross motor
skills of running, hopping, galloping,
jumping, throwing & kicking & the fine
motor skills for tool use are developed
• Development of the building blocks for
later culturally promoted behaviors (e.g.,
sport & dance skills). Sometimes called
“phylogenetic” skills.
• Requires learning the coordination
between the major body segments as
well as coordination with the ever
changing environment
Skillful Period
~ 11 years
Context-specific
Period
~7 ~ 11 years
Many different “skill” domains (like the
various peaks in a mountain range)
Knowledge Gaps:
Developing a competent mover who is
engaged in a lifetime of moving
¡ What are the key motor skills needed to be a competent
mover?
¡ What percentage of children actually become competent
movers?
¡ What is required to be a competent mover?
¡ Is there a sensitive or critical time for developing these skills?
¡ To become an “expert” requires 10,000 hours of deliberate
practice. But what level of ‘expertise’ is ‘enough to maintain a
lifetime of physical activity?
¡ What is the nature of the relationship between motor
competence & physical activity engagement & persistence?
Policy implications for
developing competent movers:
¡ Developing learning outcomes/standards for motor
competence (a physically educated child) for preschool &
school-age children
¡ Defining standards for those who work with preschool &
school age children
¡ Defining standards for the amount of time in the school day
for structured and unstructured physical activity
¡ Developing curricular offerings that provide children with a
rich movement experiences that promote movement
competence for more than the “elite” athletes