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Gross Motor Development in Children Aged 3–5 Years, United States 2012

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Abstract

Objective Gross motor development in early childhood is important in fostering greater interaction with the environment. The purpose of this study is to describe gross motor skills among US children aged 3–5 years using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2). Methods We used 2012 NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS) data, which included TGMD-2 scores obtained according to an established protocol. Outcome measures included locomotor and object control raw and age-standardized scores. Means and standard errors were calculated for demographic and weight status with SUDAAN using sample weights to calculate nationally representative estimates, and survey design variables to account for the complex sampling methods. Results The sample included 339 children aged 3–5 years. As expected, locomotor and object control raw scores increased with age. Overall mean standardized scores for locomotor and object control were similar to the mean value previously determined using a normative sample. Girls had a higher mean locomotor, but not mean object control, standardized score than boys (p < 0.05). However, the mean locomotor standardized scores for both boys and girls fell into the range categorized as “average.” There were no other differences by age, race/Hispanic origin, weight status, or income in either of the subtest standardized scores (p > 0.05). Conclusions In a nationally representative sample of US children aged 3–5 years, TGMD-2 mean locomotor and object control standardized scores were similar to the established mean. These results suggest that standardized gross motor development among young children generally did not differ by demographic or weight status.

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Abbreviations

AAP:

American Academy of Pediatrics

BMI:

Body mass index

CDC:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CIW:

Confidence interval width

FIPR:

Family income to poverty level ratio

NCHS:

National Center for Health Statistics

NHANES:

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

NNYFS:

NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey

RSE:

Relative standard error

TGMD-2:

Test of Gross Motor Development, second edition

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The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.

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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD, 20782, USA

    Brian K. Kit, Lara J. Akinbami & Neda Sarafrazi Isfahani

  2. Movement Science Program, Center on Physical Activity & Health in Pediatric Disabilities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

    Dale A. Ulrich

Authors
  1. Brian K. Kit
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  2. Lara J. Akinbami
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  3. Neda Sarafrazi Isfahani
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  4. Dale A. Ulrich
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Correspondence to Brian K. Kit.

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Kit, B.K., Akinbami, L.J., Isfahani, N.S. et al. Gross Motor Development in Children Aged 3–5 Years, United States 2012. Matern Child Health J 21, 1573–1580 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-017-2289-9

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