Lifestyle of school-aged children with and without developmental coordination disorder

Abstract

Abstract Aim: To analyze the association between lifestyle and signs of DCD in children aged 7 to 10. Methods: A total of 93 schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 were recruited for this study. Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ), Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second edition (MABC-2) and the Inventory of Lifestyle in Childhood and Adolescence (ILCA) were used. Lifestyle was analyzed with basis on specific tasks performed frequently or infrequently at home and outdoor, considering children with positive and negative DCD signs. Results: Only the item “performing household tasks” showed a significant association (p = 0.04) between groups. Children with DCD signs displayed a more infrequent behavior (73.1 %) in performing such tasks when compared to those without (26.9 %). Conclusion: Children with DCD signs presented a more sedentary behavior, expressed specifically in the less frequent performance of household tasks. The result may be explained by parental involvement in this sort of task. Further studies, however, are needed in order to broaden this understanding.

Keywords

• physical activity
• motor disorders
• sedentary lifestyle
• life habits