Zhao Deqiang, Chen Xiaoxiao, Zhang Aoyu, Wang Chunmiao, Wang Yibei, He Jin, Chen Jiaxin, Hu Haixia, Tang Xiaoni, Zhang Aiying, Xiao Han, Zhang Yanfeng
National Physical Fitness and Science Fitness Center, China Institute of Sport Science, Beijing, China.
Aiyumo Children and Youth Sports Health Research Institute, Weifang, Shandong, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jul 17;13:1585768. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585768. eCollection 2025.
Movement development and motor ability are related to preschool children's physical health, and obesity is an increasingly serious problem in early childhood.
The aim of this study was to analyze the mechanism of body mass index (BMI), motor coordination (MC), and physical fitness index (PFI) influencing pathways and to provide theoretical references for promoting the health management of preschool children.
A total of 374 preschool children aged 3-6 years from a kindergarten in Weifang City, Shandong Province, China, were recruited to this study using a stratified random sampling method. We evaluated the motor coordination of these preschool children through the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2) and assessed the physical fitness index of their sports performance through physical fitness tests such as standing long jump and continuous two-foot jumping. Pearson correlation analysis, network analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis were used to verify the interaction between BMI, MC, and PFI at each level. Finally, the bootstrap method was used to test the mediating effect of motor coordination.
The results of the network analysis indicated that body mass index negatively affected preschoolers' motor coordination and physical fitness index. The stratified regression results indicated that body mass index negatively influenced physical fitness index ( < 0.01) and motor coordination positively influenced it ( < 0.01). Movement coordination played a mediating role (95% CI = [-0.077, -0.015]).
This study, based on cross-sectional data analysis, reveals the interrelationship between BMI, MC, and PFI in preschool children. BMI is significantly negatively correlated with MC and PFI, suggesting that lower MC and PFI may be associated with higher BMI levels. MC mediates the relationship between BMI and PFI, and improving motor coordination can weaken the negative association between BMI and PFI. Therefore, in promoting the sports health of preschool children, instead of simply increasing the amount of physical activity, training in motor coordination can be added to improve their sports performance.
运动发育和运动能力与学龄前儿童的身体健康有关，而肥胖是幼儿期日益严重的问题。
本研究旨在分析体重指数（BMI）、运动协调性（MC）和身体素质指数（PFI）的影响途径机制，为促进学龄前儿童的健康管理提供理论参考。
采用分层随机抽样方法，从中国山东省潍坊市一所幼儿园招募了374名3 - 6岁的学龄前儿童。我们通过儿童运动评估量表第二版（MABC - 2）评估这些学龄前儿童的运动协调性，并通过立定跳远和连续双脚跳等体能测试评估他们运动表现的身体素质指数。采用Pearson相关分析、网络分析和分层回归分析来验证BMI、MC和PFI在各个层面的相互作用。最后，采用Bootstrap法检验运动协调性的中介作用。
网络分析结果表明，体重指数对学龄前儿童的运动协调性和身体素质指数有负面影响。分层回归结果表明，体重指数对身体素质指数有负面影响（<0.01），运动协调性对其有正面影响（<0.01）。运动协调性起到了中介作用（95%CI = [-0.077, -0.015]）。
本研究基于横断面数据分析，揭示了学龄前儿童BMI、MC和PFI之间的相互关系。BMI与MC和PFI显著负相关，表明较低的MC和PFI可能与较高的BMI水平相关。MC介导了BMI与PFI之间的关系，改善运动协调性可以削弱BMI与PFI之间的负相关。因此，在促进学龄前儿童的运动健康方面，除了单纯增加体育活动量外，还可以增加运动协调性训练以提高他们的运动表现。
