Physical activity and motor skills of preschool children in Croatia

Osnovni ciljevi ovoga istraživanja bili su utvrđivanje razlika i povezanosti tjelesne aktivnosti i motoričkih znanja djevojčica i dječaka predškolske dobi u različitim naseljima u Republici Hrvatskoj. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 1654 dječaka i djevojčica u dobi od 3 do 7 godina i njihovi roditelji iz različitih dijelova Republike Hrvatske. Mjerenje se provodilo u dva dijela. U prvom dijelu roditelji su ispunili “Netherlands Physical Activity Questionnaire” (NPAQ), upitnik o tjelesnoj aktivnosti i sedentarnim aktivnostima njihova djeteta, te “Single item physical activity” (SIPA) vezan za razinu njihove tjelesne aktivnosti. U drugom dijelu su se testirala motorička znanja djece predškolske dobi putem baterija “Test of Gross Motor Development – Second Edition” (TGMD-2) i “Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency – Second Edition” (BOT-2). Rezultati su pokazali da djeca predškolske dobi u Republici Hrvatskoj postižu prosječne rezultate u motoričkim znanjima u odnosu na normativne vrijednosti korištenih testova. Nadalje, istraživanje je pokazalo da se djeca predškolske dobi u Republici Hrvatskoj značajno razlikuju u tjelesnoj aktivnosti, sedentarnim aktivnostima i motoričkim znanjima s obzirom na mjesto stanovanja. Predškolska djeca iz ostalih naselja splitske makroregije pokazala su se najaktivnijima. Djeca iz ostalih naselja zagrebačke makroregije provode najviše vremena u sedentarnim aktivnostima, za razliku od djece iz gradskih naselja riječke makroregije koja provode najmanje vremena u sedentarnim aktivnostima. U TGMD-2 testovima najbolje rezultate su postizala djeca predškolske dobi iz gradskih naselja splitske makroregije dok su najslabija bila djeca iz gradskih naselja riječke makroregije. U BOT-2 testovima su najbolje rezultate postizala djeca predškolske dobi iz gradskih naselja zagrebačke makroregije, a najslabije djeca iz gradskih naselja osječke makroregije. Analizom razlika utvrđeno je da dječaci ostvaruju više vrijednosti u tjelesnoj aktivnosti i sedentarnim aktivnostima u usporedbi s djevojčicama. Istraživanjem nije pronađena značajna razlika u povezanosti između tjelesne aktivnosti roditelja i njihove djece predškolske dobi u Republici Hrvatskoj. Ovo istraživanje je omogućilo po prvi puta vrednovanje motoričkog razvoja djece predškolske dobi u Republici Hrvatskoj i okolinske čimbenike koji na njega utječu, te je stvorilo preduvjete za daljnja istraživanja učinaka različitih programa vježbanja na motorička znanja djece. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the physical activity and the motor skills of pre-school children in the Republic of Croatia. The partial goals were as follows: a) determine the differences in the physical activity, sedentary activity and motor skills of pre-school children in the Republic of Croatia with regard to the place of residence (urban and other settlements); b) determine the differences in the physical activity, sedentary activity and motor skills of pre-school children in the Republic of Croatia with regard to age and sex; c) determine the differences in the motor skills of pre-school children in the Republic of Croatia with regard to the degree of their physical activity; d) determine the differences in the parents physical activity with regard to the place of residence and sex; e) to establish the correlation of the physical activity of parents with the motor skills of their pre-school children in the Republic of Croatia. The study involved 1654 boys and girls aged 3 to 7 and their parents from different parts of the Republic of Croatia. The measurement was carried out in two parts. In the first part, parents completed the “Netherlands Physical Activity Questionnaire” (NPAQ) (Božanić, 2011) which is based on their child's physical activity and sedentary activity, and the “Single Item Physical Activity” (SIPA) questionnaire (Milton et al., 2015) which determines the level of their own physical activity. In the second part, the motor skills of pre-school children were tested by two sets of tests for the assessment of motor status: "Test of Gross Motor Development - Second Edition" (Ulrich, 2000) and "Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition "(BOT-2) (Bruininks and Bruininks, 2005). The results showed that preschool children obtained average scores in motor skills in the Republic of Croatia relative to the normal values of the tests used. The study further showed that preschool children in the Republic of Croatia differ in physical activity, sedentary activity and motor skills in terms of place of residence. Preschool children from small settlements in the Split macro-region proved to be the most active. Preschool children from rural settlements in the Zagreb macro-region spend the most time in sedentary activities like watching TV or playing computer games, while preschool children from the urban settlements in Rijeka macro-region spend the least time in sedentary activities during the day. In the TGMD-2 set of tests, the best results were achieved by preschool children from urban settlements in the Split macro-region, while the weakest results were achieved by preschool children from urban settlements in the Rijeka macro-region. In the BOT-2 set of tests, the best results were achieved by preschool children from urban settlements of the Zagreb macro-region, while the weakest results were achieved by preschool children from urban settlements in the Osijek macro-region. The analysis of the whole sample of preschool children shows that boys generally take the lead in physical activity and sedentary activity compared to girls. There is a significant difference in sedentary activity by age. As children grow older, time spent in sedentary activities increases. The study found no significant differences in the physical activity of parents in terms of place of residence and gender, as well as no significant correlation between other physical activities of parents and their preschool children in the Republic of Croatia. This research enabled the evaluation of the motor development of preschool children in the Republic of Croatia for the first time and the surrounding factors influencing it. This study has also created the preconditions for further research into the effects of various exercise programs on the motor skills of the children.