We would like to thank the volleyball players for volunteering to participate in this investigation. Extended appreciation goes out to the coaches who were willing to help us development the necessary experimental protocol
for this investigation. Lastly, the authors are gratified for the technical assistance, skillful expertise, and enthusiastic involvement of Mr. Clevidence, Mr. Kelly, http://www.selleckchem.com/products/AG-014699.html and Mr. Knutson. “
“Physical activity (PA) has been deemed important in child development due to its associated positive outcomes in terms of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health, socialization, and discipline.1, 2 and 3 The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that young people should accumulate at least 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily.4 Children with physical disabilities tend to have lower PA levels compared LY2157299 to those without disability, as has been shown in those with cerebral palsy (CP).5 and 6 Children with CP are affected by impairments that hinder their ability to move and control posture,7
potentially impacting PA participation. In children without disability, fundamental movement skills (FMS) proficiency has been found to be positively associated with the time allocated to PA. Children who have greater FMS proficiency tend to be more active.8, 9, 10 and 11 FMS consist of locomotor and object control skills that form the basis of movement skills that are used in sports and games12 and are believed to develop the foundations of PA patterns that persist throughout a lifetime.13 In children with CP, gross motor function has been suggested to be one of the important factors that influence PA participation,14 possibly as a consequence of delayed FMS development associated with motor impairments. The relationship of FMS with PA can be understood through the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model for children and youth.15 The ICF model is considered as the universal framework to describe function, health, and disability and categorizes human function under three components: body functions and structures, activities, and participation.16
In children, these the relevant body function is the motor ability of a child, which could be affected by developmental delay as in the case of those with CP. FMS are complex skills that fall under the activity component, while PA level represents a participation component. The bi-directional relationship of ICF components suggests that targeting the FMS proficiency of children could generate positive effects on their PA engagement. Such relationship may be affected by developmental delay due to a physical disability. As such, this study piloted an FMS training program and examined one direction of a causal relationship between FMS proficiency and PA engagement in two groups of children: those with CP and those without disability.