An appropriate level of Functional Motor Competence (FMC) is critical to support physical activity and sports participation throughout life. Throwing and catching (TC), when combined in a single task, can be used as an indicator of FMC. In this context, the study aimed to assess the influence of sex, grip strength (GS), and maturity offset (i.e., years away from peak height velocity (PHV)) on TC. Seventy-six prepubertal students (8.48 (1.47) years; 36 females, 40 males) participated in this study. Anthropometric measurements (i.e., height, sitting height, and weight) were assessed and used to predict maturity offset (MO). GS, as an indicator of overall strength, was measured using a digital dynamometer. TC was counted by a trained operator and the best score from two 30-second trials was used as the outcome of further analysis. A Poisson Linear Regression revealed that boys have 1.52 times higher rate of TC compared to girls (exp(β) = 1.52, p = 0.013). This translates to an average rate of 6.14 TC for boys and 4.03 for girls, respectively. As the MO increases by one year, the rate of TC decreases 42% (exp(β) = 0.58, p = 0.007). An interaction term showed a 3% increase in the rate of TC while each unit increases in both MO and GS (exp(β)=1.03, p = 0.031). The study emphasizes the importance of considering sex and MO when monitoring FMC. Males scored higher in TC than females; the same result was obtained by children who were closer to their PHV than their peers who were further away from PHV. In addition, the interaction results emphasize the role of strength in children’s FMC development. The interaction between GS and MO seems to show the positive effect of strength on the TC score of the less mature children. This could be explained by the positive correlation between GS and throwing speed: an increase in strength and a subsequent increase in throwing speed may help less mature children to complete more TC per trial. Therefore, these results open future research perspectives by suggesting the need for a detailed analysis of TC sequences. This approach could provide a better understanding of how somatic maturity status may differentially affect the various components of the task.
Influence of sex, maturity offset and grip strength on throw and catch performance in primary school children
Antonella Maria Vittoria Quinto;Roberto Coppola;Francesco Sgro'
2024-01-01
Abstract
An appropriate level of Functional Motor Competence (FMC) is critical to support physical activity and sports participation throughout life. Throwing and catching (TC), when combined in a single task, can be used as an indicator of FMC. In this context, the study aimed to assess the influence of sex, grip strength (GS), and maturity offset (i.e., years away from peak height velocity (PHV)) on TC. Seventy-six prepubertal students (8.48 (1.47) years; 36 females, 40 males) participated in this study. Anthropometric measurements (i.e., height, sitting height, and weight) were assessed and used to predict maturity offset (MO). GS, as an indicator of overall strength, was measured using a digital dynamometer. TC was counted by a trained operator and the best score from two 30-second trials was used as the outcome of further analysis. A Poisson Linear Regression revealed that boys have 1.52 times higher rate of TC compared to girls (exp(β) = 1.52, p = 0.013). This translates to an average rate of 6.14 TC for boys and 4.03 for girls, respectively. As the MO increases by one year, the rate of TC decreases 42% (exp(β) = 0.58, p = 0.007). An interaction term showed a 3% increase in the rate of TC while each unit increases in both MO and GS (exp(β)=1.03, p = 0.031). The study emphasizes the importance of considering sex and MO when monitoring FMC. Males scored higher in TC than females; the same result was obtained by children who were closer to their PHV than their peers who were further away from PHV. In addition, the interaction results emphasize the role of strength in children’s FMC development. The interaction between GS and MO seems to show the positive effect of strength on the TC score of the less mature children. This could be explained by the positive correlation between GS and throwing speed: an increase in strength and a subsequent increase in throwing speed may help less mature children to complete more TC per trial. Therefore, these results open future research perspectives by suggesting the need for a detailed analysis of TC sequences. This approach could provide a better understanding of how somatic maturity status may differentially affect the various components of the task.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
