Research Centre for Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), University Institute of Maia (ISMAI), Maia, Portugal.
Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2017 Dec;27(12):1806-1813. doi: 10.1111/sms.12789. Epub 2016 Oct 26.
Available data on the associations between motor competence (MC) and flexibility are limited and result inconclusive. This study aims to examine the relationship between flexibility and MC in children. The sample comprised 596 Portuguese children (47.1% girls) aged 9.7 ± 0.6 years. Motor competence was evaluated with the body coordination test, Körperkoordination Test für Kinder. Cardiorespiratory fitness (20-m shuttle run), muscular strength (curl-up and push-up tests), and flexibility (back-saver sit and reach and trunk-lift tests) were evaluated using the Fitnessgram Test Battery. Z-scores by age and gender for the physical fitness tests were constructed. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were performed. Participants in the healthy zone groups of both flexibility tests exhibited significantly better scores of MC than the participants under the healthy zone (P < 0.001). Back-saver sit and reach and trunk-lift Z-scores, either individually or as a sum, were significant predictors of MC (P < 0.05 for all) after adjustments for the other physical fitness components, age, body mass index, and socioeconomic status, in both genders. Our findings highlight the importance of promoting and developing flexibility, as well as the other health-related physical fitness components in schoolchildren to reach adequate levels of MC.
现有关于运动能力（MC）和灵活性之间关联的数据有限，结果尚无定论。本研究旨在探讨儿童灵活性和 MC 之间的关系。样本包括 596 名葡萄牙儿童（47.1%为女孩），年龄为 9.7 ± 0.6 岁。运动能力采用身体协调测试（Körperkoordination Test für Kinder）进行评估。心肺适能（20 米穿梭跑）、肌肉力量（仰卧起坐和俯卧撑测试）和灵活性（坐立前伸和躯干上抬测试）采用健身测试电池（Fitnessgram Test Battery）进行评估。根据年龄和性别构建了身体素质测试的 Z 分数。进行方差分析和回归分析。在两个灵活性测试的健康区组的参与者表现出显著更好的 MC 得分，而在健康区以下的参与者得分较低（P < 0.001）。调整其他身体素质成分、年龄、体重指数和社会经济地位后，无论是单独还是总和，坐立前伸和躯干上抬的 Z 分数均为 MC 的显著预测因子（所有 P < 0.05），在两性中均如此。我们的研究结果强调了在学童中促进和发展灵活性以及其他与健康相关的身体素质成分的重要性，以达到足够的 MC 水平。
