Effects of motor competence on physical activity of children and adolescents: a systematic review

Objective To review the scientific evidence on associations between motor competence (MC) on physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents. Methods Systematic search was undertaken to search studies examining associations between MC and PA, including longitudinal (cohort) studies and randomized controlled trials (RCT) in children and adolescents. The origin, design, sample, measure of MC, measure of the PA, main results and statistics of the studies were analyzed, and a narrative synthesis was conducted. Results Twenty-three studies were included. There was moderate scientific evidence (1a to 2c level) supporting an effect of MC on later PA among children and adolescents. Average score of PEDro was 7.5. Evidence from RCTs suggested uncertain effects of MC on PA. Conclusion The development of motor competence during childhood may augment physical activity and may serve to enhance the development of long-term health outcomes in children and adolescents. More high quality RCTs are needed to verify the specific impacts of developing MC on PA. MC training should be incorporated into Chinese school physical educations in the future.