Motor Competence Levels and Prevalence of Developmental Coordination Disorder in Spanish Children: The MOVI-KIDS Study.

BACKGROUND: Motor competence (MC) affects numerous aspects of children's daily life. The aims of this study were to: evaluate MC, provide population-based percentile values for MC; and determine the prevalence of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in Spanish schoolchildren.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1562 children aged 4 to 6 years from Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. MC was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition. Values were analyzed according to age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), environment (rural/urban), and type of school.

RESULTS: Boys scored higher than girls in aiming and catching, whereas girls aged 6 scored higher than boys in balance. Children living in rural areas and those attending to public schools obtained better scores in aiming and catching than those from urban areas and private schools. The prevalence of DCD was 9.9%, and 7.5% of children were at risk of having movement problems.

CONCLUSION: Motor test scores can represent a valuable reference to evaluate and compare the MC in schoolchildren. Schools should identify motor problems at early ages and design initiatives which prevent or mitigate them.