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- Is motor competence a key factor in children’s body composition, independent of the method used for measuring it?Publication . Pombo, André; Rodrigues, Luis Paulo; Moreira, Ana Catarina; Borrego, Rute; Machado, Margarida; Costa, Vânia; Almeida, Ana; Tavares, Ana Sofia; Sá, Cristina; Luz, CarlosThe increase in sedentary behaviors and a decrease in children's physical activity (PA) observed in the last decades led to an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children worldwide. Most of the investigation in this field focus on components of physical fitness (PF) (cardiovascular fitness and upper body strength), however Motor Competence (MC) has been associated with childhood obesity in several studies. An adequate level of MC is a prerequisite for PF and its development can impact lifelong PA habits therefore it’s important to understand how these variables behave in different measures of body composition (BC). The aim of this study is to understand if the association of MC and childhood obesity is similar in different measures of BC (Body mass index (BMI), Skinfold, and Fat mass in kg) and to determine the role of the different motor skills components (MC, cardiovascular fitness and upper body strength) in this relationship. 181 children with a mean age of 7,93 years (SD = 1.28) were evaluated in MC (MCA instrument), cardiovascular fitness (PACER test), upper body strength (handgrip), BMI, skinfold thickness (Slaughter equation) and fat mass weight (value obtained in the slaughter equation converted in kg). Pearson correlations were used to understand the associations between MC and the BC variables, also separate multiple standard regressions were performed to explore the effect of motor skills components in the different measures of BC. MC, cardiovascular fitness, and upper body strength were used as independent variables (predictors), and BMI, skinfold thickness, and fat mass weight dependent variables. Overall, the results showed that MC is weak to moderately associated with childhood obesity independently of the measure used for BC (range between -.285 and -.316, p < .01). Furthermore, only upper body strength and MC were significant predictors (p < .001), discarding cardiovascular fitness, independently of the method used for BC. Our results indicate that MC seems to have similar behavior, in different methods that evaluate BC.
- Embracing the nutritional assessment in cerebral palsy: a toolkit for healthcare professionals for daily practicePublication . Pinto, Carolina; Borrego, Rute; Eiró-Gomes, Mafalda; Casimiro, Inês; Raposo, Ana; Folha, Teresa; Virella, Daniel; Moreira, Ana CatarinaBackground: Nutritional status assessment (NSA) can be challenging in children with cerebral palsy (CP). There are high omission rates in national surveillance reports of weight and height information. Alternative methods are used to assess nutritional status that may be unknown to the healthcare professionals (HCP) who report these children. Caregivers experience challenges when dealing with feeding problems (FP) common in CP. Our aim was to assess the difficulties in NSA which are causing this underreport and to create solutions for registers and caregivers. Methods: An online questionnaire was created for registers. Three meetings with HCP and caregivers were held to discuss problems and solutions regarding NSA and intervention. Results: HCP mentioned difficulty in NSA due to a lack of time, collaboration with others, equipment, and childrens’ motor impairment. Caregivers experienced difficulty in preparing nutritious meals with adapted textures. The creation of educational tools and other strategies were suggested. A toolkit for HCP was created with the weight and height assessment methods described and other for caregivers to deal with common FP. Conclusions: There are several difficulties experienced by HCP that might be overcome with educational tools, such as a toolkit. This will facilitate nutritional assessment and intervention and hopefully reduce underreporting.
- Effect of motor competence and health-related fitness in the prevention of metabolic syndrome risk factorsPublication . Pombo, André; Cordovil, Rita; Rodrigues, Luis Paulo; Moreira, Ana Catarina; Borrego, Rute; Machado, Margarida; Costa, Vânia; Almeida, Ana; Tavares, Ana Sofia; Sá, Cristina Cardoso de; Luz, CarlosPurpose: In the last decades we have seen an increase in sedentary behaviors and a decrease in physical activity in children when compared to past generations. This lifestyle is commonly associated with the development of clustering risk factors that define metabolic syndrome (MetS). Knowing that motor competence (MC) development can influence lifelong physical activity habits, it is reasonable to assume that children's MC will directly link to clustered cardiometabolic health outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of MC in MetS risk factors. Methods: Seventy children with a mean age of 7.49 (SD = 1.28) years were evaluated on motor competence (MCA-Motor Competence Assessment instrument), cardiovascular fitness (PACER test), upper body strength (UBS; handgrip), and the components of MetS, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, abdominal obesity, low concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high fasting blood glucose. The composite value of MetS was calculated according to Burns et al. (2017). Multiple standard regressions were performed to explore the effect of different variables on MetS. Motor competence and health-related fitness (cardiovascular fitness and relative upper body strength) were used as independent variables (predictors) and MetS as dependent variables. Results: Overall, the results showed that motor competence (β = -.072; p < .05) is a significant predictor and this model explained 7,1% of the variance in MetS. Conclusion: Although more studies are needed, our results indicate that MC seems to have a positive role in children's health markers.