# Motor Skill Competence Matters in Promoting Physical Activity and Health

Authors: Zan Gao; Xu Wen; You Fu; Jung Eun Lee; Nan Zeng
Journal: BioMed Research International
 (2021)

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## Body

## 1. Challenges and Opportunities

According to Competence Motivation Theory [22], there is a positive relationship between one’s behavior and motor skill competence and perceived competence. In particular, successful skill/task mastery (e.g., sports-specific motor skill competence development) will enhance one’s perceived competence, which in turn, facilitates other motivated behaviors (e.g., engaging in physical activity) and performance on physical tests (e.g., motor skill competence and fitness testing scores) [5]. Compiling the literature has observed a trend such that many children who have lower physical activity-related perceived competence (e.g., confidence in playing football) avoid physical activity opportunities because (1) they feel less physically competent compared to their peers [23] and (2) they are ashamed/embarrassed to demonstrate low motor skill competence. Since these children have fewer athletic skills and, therefore, less movement opportunities, they will be less motivated to participate in physical activities or sports activities which, compared to their more advanced peers, will be less fun for them [24]. Indeed, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies suggested that the relationships between children’s motor skill competence and physical activity, and fitness might be mediated by their perceived competence [25]. However, it is still unclear whether this mediating effect of perceived competence is prevalent among young children who possess high levels of perceived competence and low levels of motor skill competence, concurrently. Furthermore, the maintenance or development of motor skill competence can be achieved by regular participation in physical activity and high levels of physical fitness [25]. However, whether or not perceived competence mediates the effect of physical activity and health-related physical fitness on future motor skill competence has yet to be examined, thereby creating the need for future research on this topic among young children. Figure 1 shows two feedback loops for the preceding engagement (i.e., negative or positive). In detail, a “positive spiral of engagement” suggests a positive trajectory for physical activity and physical fitness with high motor skill competence, whereas a “negative spiral of engagement” suggests that low motor skill competence may lead to lower levels of perceived competence, thus decreasing physical activity and fitness over time, and, ultimately, poor future motor skill competence in children. Participation in innovative and fun physical activity promotion programs (e.g., active video game programs [5]) may facilitate the development of motor skill competence, promote these recursive relationships, and may even have the potential to influence the lifespan trajectories of young children’s physical activity and health-related physical fitness.Figure 1
Spiral of engagement (Stodden et al., 2008).Getting a greater and deeper understanding of children’s determinants and correlates of physical activity behaviors and motor skill competence is a multidimensional process involving many cultural, environmental, psychosocial, and behavioral constraints, which may influence individuals’ physical activity and fitness trajectories across the lifespan [26–28]. For example, studies that investigated the relationship between physical environment and motor skill competence have yielded inconclusive results, with some showing higher motor skill competence in rural children in comparison with their urban counterparts [29], whereas others reported opposite findings [30]. The discrepancies may be due to the fact that other dimensions, such as social support and perceived competence, are imperative in improving children’s motor skill development [31].Additionally, it is vital to develop novel physical activity promotion programs to foster healthy lifestyle behaviors in young children, which will result in increased physical activity and fitness levels across time with the ultimate goal of promoting health and preventing chronic diseases [5, 6]. As can be seen, investigating the longitudinal sustainability and the impact of novel physical activity interventions on the different dimensions of children’s health is needed in future studies, which will help us better understand how innovative physical activity intervention programs can be utilized in communities, homes, and schools to promote a healthy lifestyle throughout the lifespan. Additionally, few studies have examined the longitudinal relationships among young children’s physical activity, motor skill competence, screen time, sleep, and other social-ecological variables [32, 33]. Thus, researchers may need to put more emphasis in this area of inquiry, particularly longitudinal research in early childhood. Finally, while the interconnectedness among physical activity, motor skill competence, and cognitive functions have been evident in the past decades [34], it appears that there is a lack of understanding concerning the contextual specificity of these variables [35, 36], which warrants more research on this topic.



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