Son’kin Valentin Dmitrievich

Introduction. Childhood and adolescent obesity are associated with impairment of motor skills. However, studies assessing effect of underweight on motor skills as well as the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and motor skills are limited. The purpose of the study was to evaluate relationship between motor skills and BMI in the group of school-aged boys (7–12 years).

Material and methods. The data were collected fr om 7–12-year-old boys (1–5th grade) in the 38 Russia's federal constituent entities of eight federal districts. Height and weight were measured, BMI was calculated. Physical education teachers conducted the testing: endurance 6-minute run test (meters), 3x10 m shuttle run test (seconds), long standing jump (centimeters), forward bend test (centimeters), and 30-m sprint run test (seconds). The dataset contained 54 381 observations. The linear, quadratic and general additive models were built to check relationships between the motor skills and BMI.

Results. It was identified that high values of BMI are associated with impaired results of endurance and speed-strength abilities. Male children with a low and normal BMI values did not differ in motor skills. Despite a low level of explained variation of proportion of motor skills, a significant relationship between of motor development and BMI are noted. In the group of 7-year-old male children, the relationship was not identified. Whereas in the group of 8–12-year-old children it has a curvilinear relationship.

Conclusion. The relationship between motor skills and BMI is curvilinear (quadratic) in the group of 8–12-year-old boys. Hereafter, the modeling of non-linear relationship between motor development and BMI with other predictors might help identifying the optimum zone of body composition wh ere the adaptation potential will be the highest. It is also allowed to compare this zone in the groups of different ages and sexes. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Child overweight demonstrates a catastrophic spread across all economically developed countries of the world, despite global efforts for its prevention. The aim of this research paper was to analyze predictors of overweight, the consequences of its development, and approaches to its prevention in children.

Materials and Methods. To analyze the current state of knowledge on excess weight in children aged 3-12 years, materials from 168 literature sources from the PubMed database were used. The inclusion criteria for a source were representative samples and the availability of quantitative data for children in the age range from 3 to 12 years, characterizing one or another aspect of the problem of excess weight. The information search was conducted in the following areas: "preschool and primary school children", "overweight and/or obesity", "diet", "screen time", "sedentary lifestyle", "sleep quality", "physical (muscular) performance", "physical fitness", "physical (motor) activity", "environmental influence".

Results and discussion In Report 1, the role of low physical activity, distribution of time for different types of activity, improper diet, eating behavior, meal structure, and regularity was systematized.

Conclusion. The materials reviewed in Report 1 demonstrate the global distribution of overweight and obesity, and highlight the significant role of low physical activity in creating conditions for the development of overweight and metabolic syndrome in childhood. Even a slight reallocation of time during the day, with just a 10% increase in time spent on active movement, can alleviate the severity of the problem and prevent the development of overweight in significant segments of the child population. An improper diet, particularly the regular consumption of sweetened beverages by children, also contributes significantly to the development of overweight. Other aspects of the overweight problem in children, including the role of the environment, family, and socio-economic factors, will be discussed in Report 2.

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of № 073-00070-25-03 от 29.05.2025