Search results for "Gross motor skill"

Does Embryo Culture Medium Influence the Health and Development of Children Born after In Vitro Fertilization?

2016

International audience; In animal studies, extensive data revealed the influence of culture medium on embryonic development, foetal growth and the behaviour of offspring. However, this impact has never been investigated in humans. For the first time, we investigated in depth the effects of embryo culture media on health, growth and development of infants conceived by In Vitro Fertilization until the age of 5 years old. This single-centre cohort study was based on an earlier randomized study. During six months, in vitro fertilization attempts (No. 371) were randomized according to two media (Single Step Medium—SSM group) or Global medium (Global group). This randomized study was stopped prem…

Gross motor proficiency and intellectual functioning

2018

This cross-sectional study examines differences in gross motor proficiency as a function of different intellectual functioning profiles. Two motor areas have been investigated as being equally essential to gross motor functions in every-day life: locomotion and object control. It aims to compare gross motor skills endorsed by children with Down syndrome (DS), children with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF), and typically developing children (TDC). Group 1 was composed of 18 children with DS (chronological age=8.22), group 2 was composed of 18 children with BIF (chronological age=9.32), and group 3 was composed of 18 children with typical development (TD) (chronological age=9.28). Gr…

An Interaction Path of Mothers’ and Preschoolers’ Food-and Physical Activity-Related Aspects in Disadvantaged Sicilian Urban Areas

2021

Background: The relationship between mothers and their children’s lifestyle is still unclear, especially in disadvantaged areas. Consequently, the study aims to identify a path explaining the extent to which maternal eating habits and physical activity (PA) level predict food-related aspects, PA practice and Quotient of Gross Motor Development (QGMD) in preschoolers from disadvantaged urban areas. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 79 dyads of mothers and children were recruited from kindergartens. Information related to family socio-demographic aspects, mothers’ and children’s dietary intake frequencies and PA/sedentariness, mothers’ weight and height, mothers’ perception o…

Improvement of gross motor and cognitive abilities by an exercise training program: three case reports

2014

Marianna Alesi,1 Giuseppe Battaglia,2 Michele Roccella,1 Davide Testa,1 Antonio Palma,2 Annamaria Pepi1 1Department of Psychology, 2Department of Law, Social and Sport Science, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy Background: This work examined the efficacy of an integrated exercise training program (coach and family) in three children with Down syndrome to improve their motor and cognitive abilities, in particular reaction time and working memory. Methods: The integrated exercise training program was used in three children with Down syndrome, comprising two boys (M1, with a chronological age of 10.3 years and a mental age of 4.7 years; M2, with a chronological age of 14.6 years and a ment…

Normative data of BMI and physical fitness in a Norwegian sample of early adolescents.

2013

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to 1) provide normative data quantifying the physical fitness level and body mass index of 13–15-year-old Norwegian adolescents using a multi-component fitness assessment, and 2) compare the physical fitness of Norwegian teenagers with available European and International fitness data. Methods: 1059 adolescents (529 males, 530 females) from 12 public schools in Kristiansand were invited to testing at age 13, 14, and 15 years (Grades 8–10). Test participation was 75%–80%. The participants performed objectively anthropometrical measures (height and weight) and six field-based physical fitness tests. Results and Conclusions: As expected, sex differenc…

Food literacy predictors and associations with physical and emergent literacy in pre-schoolers: results from the Training-to-Health Project

2019

AbstractObjective:Food literacy (FL) is a crucial need encompassing basic literacy and fundamental movement skills. The present study aimed to investigate the FL level in pre-schoolers and to evaluate the effect of potential predictors and the associations with gross motor and emergent literacy skills.Design:Cross-sectional study conducted within the Training-to-Health Project.Setting:Kindergartens (n 21) in the Palermo City Council, Italy.Participants:Pre-school children aged 3–6 years (n 921) followed education sessions on nutritional topics, practical activities and compiled prearranged sheets. FL was assessed by the five-domain toolkit ‘preschool-FLAT’; gross motor and emergent literacy…

Effectiveness of a Physical Education Program on the Motor and Pre-literacy Skills of Preschoolers From the Training-To-Health Project: A Focus on We…

2020

Many studies reported a positive relationship between motor skills, cognitive functions, and school performance in school-age children; however, little is known in preschool children. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a physical education program (PEP) on locomotor, object control skills, and pre-literacy cognitive functions in a wide population of preschoolers and verify whether weight status could influence these abilities. In the context of the Training-to-Health Project, a sample of 1,029 preschoolers was recruited in kindergartens from the urban area of Palermo (Italy). Their gross motor and pre-literacy skills were tested before (PRE) and after (POST…

2020

Physical activity and motor competence (MC) have been considered to be closely related and prevent childhood obesity. The aim of the study was two-fold: to examine MC measured with two different tools in relation to individual, family, and environmental correlates and to investigate gender differences in MC. The Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3) was administered to three- to seven-year-old children (n = 945), while the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) was also used for five- to seven-year-old children (n = 444). The parent questionnaire (n = 936) included questions about individual (e.g., participation in organized sports), family (e.g., parents’ education level…

Influence of a Specific Aquatic Program on Social and Gross Motor Skills in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Three Case Reports

2019

Swimming pool activities revealed to be efficacious to train psychomotor skills and increase adaptive behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a specific multi-systemic aquatic therapy (CI-MAT) on gross motor and social skills in three adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Methods: three adolescents with ASD of which two boys (M1 with a chronological age of 10.3 years and a mental age of 4.7 years; M2 with a chronological age of 14.6 and a mental age inferior to 4 years) and one girl (chronological age of 14.0 and a mental age inferior to 4 years). The study was divided into three phases: …

P26-S Left and right motor cortical excitability and relationship to motor functions in healthy adolescents

2019

Background The interhemispheric difference in cortical excitability and its relationship to motor functions is unclear. Aim We examined the relationship between handedness, left and right motor cortex excitability and fine and gross motor functions in adolescence. Methods 28 healthy adolescents (age 16–19 years, 19 girls) were studied. Handedness was determined by the Waterloo Handedness Questionnaire. Motor threshold (MT) of the abductor pollicis brevis was measured on both hemispheres using biphasic stimulation, and on the left hemisphere also with monophasic stimulation. Box and block test (BBT) was used for manual dexterity, line run and standing long jump for gross motor tasks. Spearma…