Motor ability and weight status are determinants of extra-curricular activity participation in children with developmental coordination disorder

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: According to the ICF model, participation in everyday activities is integral to child development. This study aimed to: (1) compare the motor performance and pattern of extra-curricular activity participation between children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and (2) identify the role of motor ability and weight status in activity participation diversity amongst children with DCD. METHODS: 81 children with DCD (63 males, 18 females; mean age: 8.07 ± 1.5 years) and 67 typically developing children (48 males, 19 females; mean age: 8.25 ± 1.6 years) joined the study. Participation patterns (diversity, intensity, companionship, location and enjoyment) were evaluated using Children Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment. Motor ability was evaluated using Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (Movement ABC-2). Other factors that may influence participation such as body weight were also measured. Analysis of variance was used to compare the outcome variables between the two groups. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the significant determinants of activity participation. RESULTS: Children with DCD participated in fewer activities (p<0.001) and less frequently (p<0.001). No significant difference was found in companionship (p=0.529), location (p=0.773) and enjoyment (p=0.754) between the two groups. The DCD group had significantly poorer motor ability as measured by MABC-2 (p<0.001). A greater proportion of children in the DCD group was in the overweight/obese category than their typically developing peers (p=0.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that motor ability alone explained 7.6% of the variance in participation diversity (F3,77=2.181, p=0.014) while weight category accounted for another 5.7% of the variance in participation diversity (F3,77=1.640, p=0.033) in children with DCD, after accounting for the effects of age and gender. CONCLUSION: Extra-curricular activity participation in children with DCD is less diverse and intense than typically developing children. Motor impairment and weight status can partly explain this deficit. Interventions aim at improving participation for children with DCD should target on motor proficiency and weight control. Copyright © 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V.