Relationship between physical activity and sleep habits with motor proficiency among school aged children in Iran

Despite the importance of basic motor skills in preschool and elementary school children for developing specialized skills in adulthood, the factors influencing motor proficiency have not yet been fully identified, and there are contradictory findings regarding the influencing factors. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between physical activity and sleep habits with motor proficiency among school aged children in Iran. In this descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study, 403 school-aged children living in Bushehr were selected using cluster random sampling method. Data collection tools included demographic form, physical activity questionnaire for older children, children's sleep habits questionnaire, anthropometric measurements and short-form Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency. The data were analyzed using SPSS 19.0, descriptive statistics and analytical tests (simple and multiple univariate regression). The significance level was considered less than 0.05 in all cases. The mean age of the children participating in the study was 9.65 +/- 1.72 years. Approximately half of the children (46.5%) were classified as overweight and obese. The simple regression analysis showed a significant statistical correlation between motor proficiency and child's age, parent's age, number of siblings, BMI and physical activity (P < 0.05). The multiple regression analysis results indicated a significant correlation between motor proficiency and child's age (beta = 0.462, P < 0.001), gender (beta = 0.145, P = 0.001) and BMI (beta = - 0.157, P < 0.001). Children with a higher BMI, younger age and female gender exhibited a lower level of motor proficiency. The obtained findings are of particular importance for raising awareness of school officials and health policymakers about various aspects of health such as growth and motor development, and developing necessary strategies to enhance girls' motor development and prevent obesity.