Kids with good motor skills might be more fit teens

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Getting children to move is the challenge of every parent, as computers and television vie for kids’ attention, luring them into a sedentary lifestyle. Although not every child likes to exercise, there may be a way to predict whether young children will become active teens.

A recent study found a link between having good object control skills in childhood and being more fit as an adolescent. A longitudinal study published in the December issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise put 276 elementary school kids in New South Wales, Australia, through movement skill tests. Three related to object control (kicking, catching and overhand throwing) and four locomotor skills (hopping, side galloping, vertical jumping and sprinting). Each skill was broken down into several features; for example, catching included keeping the eyes focused on the object throughout the maneuver, catching and controlling the object with hands only, and bending the elbows to absorb the force of the object. Six years later, 244 students had their cardiorespiratory fitness measured by running timed laps.

Boys and girls who had good object control skills (scores of 10 or more out of 15) ran, on average, six extra laps than those with poor object control skills (scores of five or less out of 15).

Researchers believe that object control skills, which can be found in activities such as kicking, throwing and catching, are often connected with activities such as sports. So students who are good at these skills may be more likely to engage in recreational or organized sports, upping their fitness levels.

In the study they wrote, ‘Our findings suggest that object control skills should be targeted through school and community interventions as a key strategy in promoting subsequent cardiorespiratory fitness. It is important that such skills are taught during the primary or elementary school years as children are at an optimal age in terms of motor skill learning.’

-- Jeannine Stein