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Identifying and describing children's play behaviours is an important component of evaluating child development. The Behaviour Mapping Schedule is a direct observational tool which aims to describe and quantify children's play behaviours but is yet to undergo reliability testing. This study aimed to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Behaviour Mapping Schedule. Twelve children aged 3-5 years were each video recorded for one 20-minute playtime period at a purposively selected Community Children's Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. The video recordings were coded independently by two raters against 23 behaviour codes. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Intra-rater ICCs for nearly 70% of the behaviour codes were considered 'excellent'; likewise, for inter-rater ICCs on more than 50% of the behaviour codes. Overall, the Behaviour Mapping Schedule is a reliable tool for observing children's play behaviour; however, additional training resources may be useful to further strengthen inter-rater reliability.

The aim of this study was to describe and undertake an initial evaluation of a student-led assessment service for children with possible motor-skill difficulties. A secondary analysis of cross-sectional descriptive clinical data collected from 2015 to 2016 was undertaken. Children (N = 102) were assessed in preschools by physiotherapy students (supervised by qualified physiotherapists). Key outcomes included the following: Children's Activities Scale, Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2, and demographic/service-usage/onward referral statistics. The results highlighted that for every five children referred/assessed, two were at risk of motor-skill difficulties (∼43%). About 66% of children were subsequently referred on or monitored (40% requiring multidisciplinary follow-up). Conversely 34% of children did not require further services. In conclusion, a student-led assessment service may be a sustainable and feasible option to assist children at risk of motor-skill difficulties, enabling onward referral. Additional evaluation is required to garner stakeholder feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between postural control and fundamental motor skills in girls. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 47 girls, aged 8–10 years. Postural control (postural sway centre of pressure) was evaluated during tandem stance, leading with dominant and non-dominant limbs with eyes open and closed, using an AMTI force platform. Fundamental motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd Edition, examining total, locomotor and object control scores. Data were analysed using linear regression, adjusted for body mass index percentile and household income. For locomotor skills, significant relationships were found with a number of postural sway outcomes for adjusted and unadjusted analyses (r − 0.287 to r − 0.425, p ≤ 0.042). Total motor skill score was significantly related to postural sway in the tandem dominant eyes closed condition for unadjusted and adjusted analyses (r ≥ −0.294, p ≤ 0.04). In conclusion, our findings indicate that postural control may be important for fundamental motor skill proficiency and movement quality in pre-adolescent girls, particularly for locomotor skills. Our study provides evidence supporting the clinical practice of assessing postural control in girls presenting with motor skill deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate associations between aspects of time use and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in youth.Methods: 239 obese and healthy-weight 10- to 13-year-old Australian children completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) quantifying their health-related quality of life. Time use was evaluated over four days using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA), a validated 24 h recall tool. The average number of minutes/day spent in physical activity (divided into sport, active transport and play), screen time (divided into television, videogames and computer use), and sleep were calculated. Percent fat was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, Tanner stage by self-report, and household income by parental report. Sex-stratified analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares regression, with percent fat, Tanner stage, household income, and use-of-time as the independent variables, and PedsQL™ total, physical and psychosocial subscale scores as the dependent variables.Results: For boys, the most important predictors of HRQoL were percent fat (negative), videogames (negative), sport (positive), and Tanner stage (negative). For girls, the significant predictors were percent fat (negative), television (negative), sport (positive), active transport (negative), and household income (positive).Conclusion: While body fat was the most significant correlate of HRQoL, sport was independently associated with better HRQoL, and television and videogames with poorer HRQoL. Thus, parents and clinicians should be mindful that not all physical activity and screen-based behaviours have equivocal relationships with children's HRQoL. Prospective research is needed to confirm causation and to inform current activity guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Obese children are typically less physically active than their normal‐weight peers and are often assumed to be ‘unfit’. Objective: Investigate the relationships between adiposity, physical activity levels and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in obese and normal‐weight children. A secondary aim was to examine obese/normal‐weight differences in CRF. Methods: Obese (N = 107) and normal‐weight (N = 132) 10–13‐year‐olds participated. Fat‐free mass (FFM), percent fat, physical activity and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) were assessed. Analyses were adjusted for socioeconomic status (SES). Results: Higher percent fat was inversely associated with VO2peak normalized for mass (r = −0.780, P < 0.001) even after controlling for physical activity (r = −0.673, P < 0.001). While higher percent fat was also inversely associated with VO2peak normalized for FFM, this was only significant in males (r = −0.247, P = 0.004) and did not persist after controlling for physical activity (r = −0.059 P = 0.526). Compared with normal‐weight children, obese children had higher absolute VO2peak, lower VO2peak corrected for mass (P ≤ 0.009) and lower VO2peak corrected for FFM (P = 0.041) that did not persist after controlling for SES (P = 0.086). Conclusion: Obesity‐related inefficiencies in CRF were evident. Higher adiposity was associated with poorer CRF relative to mass, irrespective of physical activity levels. However, low physical activity levels may be responsible for associations between adiposity and CRF relative to FFM seen in boys, indicating the importance of encouraging physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is already known about this subject? Compared with their healthy-weight peers, children with obesity have;, impaired physical health-related quality of life, reduced physical activity levels, reduced capacity to perform certain weight-bearing tasks in field-based fitness tests, What this study adds? First investigation of obesity-related disability in children using the International Classification for Functioning, Disability and Health framework for Children and Youth., Obesity in children appears to be associated with disability impacting basic locomotor skills and physical health-related quality of life., Children's participation in key life areas related to physical functioning appears to be minimally impacted by obesity., Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether obesity is related to impaired day-to-day physical functioning and disability in children. Methods An observational case-control study was conducted in three Australian states. Obese ( n = 107) and healthy-weight ( n = 132) 10- to 13-year-olds (132 male, 107 female) were recruited via media advertisements. Assessment of body composition (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), locomotor capacity (six-minute walk test [ 6MWT], timed up and down stairs test [ TUDS] and timed up and go [ TUG]) and child-reported physical health-related quality of life ( HRQoL) were undertaken. Participants wore an accelerometer for 8 days and completed two use-of-time telephone interviews to assess participation in key life areas. Results Compared with their healthy-weight counterparts, obese children had lower physical HRQoL scores ( P < 0.01) and reduced locomotor capacity ( TUDS z-score, TUG and 6MWT; P < 0.01). Higher percent body fat was significantly related to lower physical HRQoL scores ( r = −0.48, P < 0.01), slower performance times for the TUDS and TUG ( r = 0.59 and 0.26 respectively, P < 0.01), shorter 6MWT distances ( r = −0.51, P < 0.01) and reduced time spent in community participation activities ( r = −0.23, P < 0.01). Conclusions As anticipated, obesity appears to undermine physical functioning in children, including the capacity to perform basic locomotor skills yet, unexpectedly, participation in key life areas related to physical functioning appeared largely unaffected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To critically appraise the Biodex System 4 isokinetic dynamometer for strength assessment of children. Methods: Appraisal was based on experiences from two independent laboratories involving testing of 213 children. Issues were recorded and the manufacturer was consulted regarding appropriate solutions. Results: The dynamometer had insufficient height adjustment for alignment of the knee for some children, requiring the construction of padding to better fit the child within the dynamometer. Potential for entrapment of the non-testing leg was evident in the passive and eccentric modes and a leg bracket restraint was constructed. Automated gravity correction did not operate when protocols were linked or data was exported to an external device. Conclusions: Limitations were noted, some of which were applicable to knee strength testing in general and others which were specific to use with children. However, most of these obstacles could be overcome, making the Biodex System 4 suitable for assessment of knee strength in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of obesity, and adolescent weight tracks strongly into adulthood. Previous reviews of treatment strategies have failed to discriminate between adolescents and children, thereby, disregarding the uniqueness of this population. Hence, this review aims to summarise the evidence for treatment approaches for adolescent obesity. Pubmed, OVID, EBSCOhost and Google Scholar were searched for randomised controlled trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews testing treatments for overweight/obese adolescents (aged 12-19 years), published from 1982-2006 in English. Eligible studies had to assess either weight, percentage overweight, body mass index (BMI) or body fat. Thirty-four randomised controlled trials were eligible. The results of this review indicate that the safety and efficacy of surgical and pharmacotherapy treatments for adolescent obesity is uncertain. Diet and physical activity approaches may improve obese status in the short term. However, obesity interventions appear more effective when strategies are combined, rather than when used in isolation. Psychological interventions, such as behavioural and cognitive behavioural therapy, show promise in achieving the necessary lifestyle changes for obesity reduction; however, long-term follow-up studies are needed. There were multiple limitations in appraising the literature. Inconsistent definitions of overweight/obesity make comparisons between studies difficult. Many studies have not used direct adiposity measures, have failed to assess pubertal status or have not used an exclusive adolescent sample. We conclude that, despite these limitations, current evidence indicates that behavioural and cognitive behavioural strategies combined with diet and physical activity approaches may assist in reducing adolescent obesity,although long-term follow-up studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]