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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Physical Activity Measurement Methods For Young Children: A Comparative Study, Beth P. Hands, Helen Parker, Dawne Larkin
Physical Activity Measurement Methods For Young Children: A Comparative Study, Beth P. Hands, Helen Parker, Dawne Larkin
Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles
Many behavior patterns that impact on physical activity experiences are established in early childhood, therefore it is important that valid, reliable, and feasible measures are developed to identify children who are not developing appropriate and healthy activity habits. In this study, measures of physical activity derived by accelerometry and pedometry are compared with direct observation for twenty-four 5- and 6-year-old children. The children were monitored for 30 minutes over five consecutive days during a 30 minute free play session in their pre-primary setting. The results for all measures were significantly correlated. When compared to direct observation, the coefficient of determination …
Physical Fitness Of Children With Motor Learning Difficulties, Beth P. Hands, Dawne Larkin
Physical Fitness Of Children With Motor Learning Difficulties, Beth P. Hands, Dawne Larkin
Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles
Children with motor learning difficulties (MLD) tend to be less physically active than their coordinated peers and one likely consequence is a reduced level of physical fitness. In this study, 52 children with MLD aged 5 to 8 years, were compared to 52 age- and gender-matched control children across a range of health and skill related fitness components. Analyses of variance revealed significantly lower scores in the group with MLD on the tests for cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, abdominal strength, speed, and power than the control group. Furthermore, the group with MLD had a significantly higher Body Mass Index (BMI). These …