Suspected Motor Problems and Low Preference for Active Play in Childhood Are Associated with Physical Inactivity and Low Fitness in Adolescence

Background - This prospective longitudinal study investigates whether suspected motor problems and low preference for active play in childhood are associated with physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence. Methodology/Principal Findings - The study sample consisted of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC 1986) composed of 5,767 children whose parents responded to a postal inquiry concerning their children's motor skills at age 8 years and who themselves reported their physical activity at age 16 years. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured with a cycle ergometer test at age 16 years. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the level of physical activity and fitness were obtained from multinomial logistic regression and adjusted for socio-economic position and body mass index. Low preference for active play in childhood was associated with physical inactivity (boys: OR 3.31, 95% CI 2.42–4.53; girls: OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.36–2.36) and low cardiorespiratory fitness (boys: OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.27–2.74; girls: OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.09–2.11) in adolescence. Suspected gross (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.33–3.49) and fine (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.35–2.60) motor problems were associated with physical inactivity among boys. Children with suspected motor problems and low preference for active play tended to have an even higher risk of physical inactivity in adolescence. Conclusions/Significance - Low preference for active play in childhood was associated with physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence. Furthermore, children with suspected motor problems and low preference for active play tended to have an even higher risk of physical inactivity in adolescence. Identification of children who do not prefer active play and who have motor problems may allow targeted interventions to support their motor learning and participation in active play and thereby promote their physical activity and fitness in later life.peerReviewe

Iloa, leikkiä ja yhdessä tekemistä – Varhaisvuosien fyysisen aktiivisuuden suositukset

AbstractThe first recommendations concerning physical activity of under eight-year-olds, Recommendations for physical activity in early childhood education 2005 (Guides of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2005:17) have now been updated based on the initiative of the national Joy in Motion programme. The recommendations were hoped to respond to the changes in the children’s living conditions and the amount and types of physical activities over the past ten years. Another aim was to update the scientific base of the recommendations. The new Recommendations for physical activity in early childhood (2016) were prepared as part of the work of the Steering group for health-enhancing physical activity (TEHYLI). The steering group commented on and approved the recommendations compiled by the multidisciplinary national group of experts specifically invited to carry out the task. The recommendations are founded on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The recommendations are based on scientific information on how the adults interacting with under eight-year-olds can facilitate the realisation of the rights of children by comprehensive support for their growth, development, health and wellbeing through physical activities. Studies have shown that physical activity promotes the child’s physical, cognitive, psychological, emotional and social development. The scientific knowledge base of the recommendations has also been published (Scientific justification for the recommendations for physical activity in early childhood 2016. Ministry of Education and Culture 2016:22) The Recommendations for physical activity in early childhood inform about the amount and type of physical activity for the under eight-year-old, roles of the physical, psychological and social environments, and planning and implementation of guided physical exercise and education on exercise as part of early childhood education. The recommendations are intended for parents, early childhood education teachers, physical exercise and healthcare professionals, and other organisations and individuals involved in promoting physical activity, health or wellbeing among under eight-year-olds. TiivistelmäEnsimmäiset suomalaiset alle kahdeksanvuotiaiden lasten liikuntaan tarkoitetut suositukset, Varhaiskasvatuksen liikunnan suositukset 2005 (Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön oppaita 2005:17), esitettiin päivitettäviksi valtakunnallisessa Ilo kasvaa liikkuen – ohjelman kehittämistyössä. Suositusten toivottiin vastaavan viimeisen kymmenen vuoden aikana tapahtuneita muutoksia lasten elinolosuhteissa sekä liikkumisen määrässä ja laadussa. Tavoitteeksi asetettiin myös suositusten tutkimusperustan päivittäminen. Uudet Varhaisvuosien fyysisen aktiivisuuden suositukset (2016) valmisteltiin osana opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön sekä sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön yhdessä asettaman ja koordinoiman Terveyttä ja hyvinvointia edistävän liikunnan (TEHYLI) –ohjausryhmän työtä. TEHYLI –ohjausryhmä kommentoi ja hyväksyi tehtävään erikseen kutsutun monitieteisen kansallisen asiantuntijaryhmän kokoamat suositukset. Suositusten taustalla on YK:n lapsen oikeuksien yleissopimus. Suositukset perustuvat tutkimustietoon siitä, miten alle kahdeksanvuotiaiden lasten kanssa toimivat aikuiset voivat mahdollistaa lasten oikeuksien toteutumisen tukemalla lasten kokonaisvaltaista kasvua, kehitystä, terveyttä ja hyvinvointia liikunnan avulla. Tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että liikunnalla voidaan tukea lapsen fyysistä, kognitiivista, psyykkistä, emotionaalista ja sosiaalista kehittymistä. Suositusten tieteelliset perusteet on julkaistu erillisenä julkaisuna (Tieteelliset perusteet varhaisvuosien fyysisen aktiivisuuden suosituksille 2016. Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö 2016:22) Varhaisvuosien fyysisen aktiivisuuden suositukset antavat ohjeita alle kahdeksanvuotiaiden lasten fyysisen aktiivisuuden määrästä ja laadusta, fyysisen, psyykkisen ja sosiaalisen ympäristön rooleista sekä ohjatun liikunnan ja liikuntakasvatuksen suunnittelusta ja toteuttamisesta osana varhaiskasvatusta. Varhaisvuosien fyysisen aktiivisuuden suositukset on tarkoitettu lasten vanhempien, varhaiskasvatus-, liikunta- ja terveydenhuollon ammattilaisten sekä muiden alle kahdeksanvuotiaiden lasten liikunnan, terveyden tai hyvinvoinnin edistämiseen osallistuvien yhteisöjen ja yksilöiden käyttöön. Julkaisuun viitattaessa käytetään seuraavaa lähdemerkintää: Varhaisvuosien fyysisen aktiivisuuden suositukset 2016. Iloa, leikkiä ja yhdessä tekemistä. Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö 2016:21

Suvussa esiintyvän lukemisvaikeusriskin yhteys motoriseen ja kielelliseen kehitykseen : tallaako lapsi kielensä päälle?

Helena Viholaisen pitkittäistutkimus osoitti, ettei suomalainen kansanuskomus kielen päälle tallaamisesta pidä paikkaansa. Päinvastoin varhainen liikuntataitojen oppiminen edistää myös kielellisten taitojen oppimista. Tällainen kehityksen eri osa-alueiden kokonaisvaltaisuus toteutuu etenkin niillä lapsilla, joiden suvussa on ilmennyt lukemaan oppimisen vaikeuksia. Pulmat näyttävät lisäksi heijastuvan lukemisen ensivaiheisiin. Viholainen havaitsi myös, että varhain opitut liikkumisen taidot ennustavat melko hyvin myöhempiä liikuntataitoja.Liikuntataitojen oppimisen ongelmat ja kielellisten taitojen oppimisen ongelmat ilmenevät usein samoilla lapsilla. Samoin liikunnan ongelmat yhdistyvät usein lukemisvaikeuksien kanssa. Esimerkiksi lapsilla, joilla istuma-asennon ja itsenäisen kävelyn oppiminen on viivästynyt, on havaittu myöhemmin kielen kehityksen vaikeuksia.Liikkumistaidot kehittävät lapsen ajattelutaitoja ja sen myötä kielen kehitystä. Liikkuessaan ja toimiessaan erilaisissa tilanteissa lapsi joutuu ratkaisemaan monenlaisia ongelmia. Hänen on opittava ymmärtämään, mitä ympäristöstä tuleva tieto tarkoittaa ja miten sitä voi käyttää, jotta saavuttaisi esimerkiksi lelun, johon käsi ei ojennettunakaan ylety. Tutkimus on osa Jyväskylän yliopiston psykologian laitoksella toteutettua laajaa kansainvälistä tutkimusprojektia Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia (JLD). Projektissa on selvitetty, että myöhäinen puhumaan oppiminen on kielen kehitystä hidastava tekijä niillä lapsilla, joilla on myös suvuittain esiintyvä riski lukemaan oppimisen vaikeuteen.The aim of the present study was to expand our knowledge on the importance of motor skills to language development. The three main questions were the relationship between early motor development and later motor skills, between early motor and language development, and, between early motor development and reading speed in children at risk for dyslexia. The study was a part of an international project, the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia. The samples in this study consisted of 64, 88, 75 children with familial risk for dyslexia, respectively, and 66, 88, 79 children in a matched control group, respectively. The main results of the study indicate that early body control predict moderately well motor skills at 3.5 years of age. Surprisingly, however, the early hand control skills and later fine motor skills were not developmentally related. Nevertheless, it was found that children with early developing hand control were poorer in their gross motor skills at 3.5 years. The results related to the language development indicate that the early motor milestones and later language skills were associated to the familial risk for dyslexia. Five distinct subgroups of motor development were found, three in the control group and two in the at-risk group. The children in the at-risk group who were slow in their overall motor development had fewer words and shorter sentences at 1.5–2.0 years of age. Also development at the ages of 3.5–5.5 years of age showed that their vocabulary was smaller and morphology was poorer than among the children in all the other subgroups. The same trend was found in reading speed at the end of the first grade. In conclusion, the results suggest that in children with familial risk for dyslexia, information on early motor development is valuable in screening those children at risk for slower language development already before the appearance of words, as problems in early motor development in this population are an early sign of possible reading difficulties. Benefits of early motor intervention to language development in children with familial risk for language-based difficulties are discussed

Tallaako lapsi kielensä päälle? : Motorisen kehityksen yhteys kielelliseen kehitykseen

Summary: Investigating the connection between motor development and language developmen

Tallaako lapsi kielensä päälle? Motorisen kehityksen yhteys kielelliseen kehitykseen

Investigating the connection between motor development and language development (englanti)2/2007 (111)INVESTIGATING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MOTOR DEVELOPMENT AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT The article presents the findings of a set of studies intended to enhance our understanding of the significance of motor development in a childs language development. The aim of the studies was to investigate whether there is a connection between early motor development and the language skills and reading speeds of children at different ages. The studies formed part of a more extensive project, the Jyvskyl Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia. The first of the studies investigated the connection between motor skills and language development in 176 children aged 18 months to 2 years. Half of this total, i.e. 88 children, constituted the control group, while the remaining 88 children comprised the at-risk group. The latter consisted of children with a familial risk of dyslexia. The second of the studies focused on the language skills of children aged 3-5 and on their reading ability at the end of their first school year. The participants in this study numbered 154, of whom 79 constituted the control group and 75 the at-risk group. On the basis of their early motor development the children in the control group were divided into three subgroups, and those in the at-risk group into two subgroups. The subgroups were defined in terms of motor development characteristics. In the control group, the three subgroups consisted of children whose fine and gross motor skills were developing more quickly than their peers, those whose fine motor skills were developing more slowly than their peers, and those whose gross motor skills were developing more slowly than their peers. The two subgroups in the at-risk group comprised children whose fine and gross motor skills were developing more quickly than their peers and more slowly than their peers.A connection between early motor development and language development was found only in the at-risk group. It was found that children in the at-risk group whose motor skills were developing at a slower rate than their peers produced fewer words and displayed a weaker grasp of the structures of the Finnish language; this was the case in all the age groups studied (1-5 years). At the end of their first school year these children were also slower in reading than the others. The results show that the slower development of early motor skills can be an indication that later problems may occur in the childs language development, especially if there are also other risk factors involved, such as familial risk of dyslexia. Further research is needed to investigate the language-development impact of support measures for early motor development.Helena Viholaine

Sand Play for 0–8-Year-Old Children’s Health and Development : A Systematic Review Protocol

Sand play may be a significant determinant of health and development in early childhood, but systematically synthesised evidence is absent in the literature. The main objective of this study was to present a planned methodology to systematically review, and synthesise, the evidence regarding sand play and its associations with 0–8-year-old children’s health and development. The systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols statement was registered to PROSPERO (CRD42021253852). Literature searches will be conducted using information from eight electronic databases. Studies will be included when participating children were aged 0–8 years, settings provided children with exposure to sand environments and/or materials, and child-level outcomes related to physical, cognitive, and/or social–emotional health and development. The search results will be imported to software; duplicates will be removed; and independent double screening, and study quality assessments using appropriate tools, will be conducted. Synthesis without meta-analysis will be conducted for quantitative studies similar in exposure, outcome, and content analysis to qualitative studies. Our overall confidence in each review finding will be assessed. The findings of this systematic review can inform policy makers and early childhood education teachers about the associations between sand play and children’s health and development, and its impact in practice.peerReviewe