Motor development of preschoolers in schools in Rio de Janeiro: An observational study

Abstract

Introduction: The foundation for motor skills acquisition is established in preschool age, a period in which children significantly improve their mobility and achieve new models of movement coordination that are essential for skillful performances. However, the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has restricted many children's accesses to the school environment. Thus, assessing the motor development of preschool children to detect impairments in skill acquisition, especially after the period of social isolation, can help guide teachers' actions in the face of poor development. Furthermore, motor development plays an important role in learning.
Finally, the population studied lacks easy access to professionals who could detect poor development and help remedy it. Objectives: Given this scenario, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the motor development of preschool children
(4 to 5 and a half years old) enrolled in a municipal school in Rio de Janeiro, near the Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Realengo. The secondary objectives included: (1) investigating the correlation between chronological age and general motor age; (2)
classifying motor development and determining the motor age and motor profile of the sample; (3) determining the distribution of the General Motor Quotient (GMQ) and assessing whether motor development is compatible with that expected for the age
group; (4) comparing motor performance between the sexes, assessing whether there are significant differences in the various areas of motor development; and (5) analyzing the laterality of the sample. Methods: First, the eligibility criteria for children
aged 4 to 5 and a half years old were applied through an anamnesis form. The guardians of eligible children who allow their participation will sign an Informed Consent Form (ICF). Then, according to the schedule agreed upon at the educational institution, the children will be submitted to the Motor Development Scale (EDM), developed to provide an instrument for assessing children, provide parameters for development levels and identify children with motor developmental inadequacies. Children who present with motor development inadequacies will receive, together with their parents and teachers, an action plan that will include some conducts that can be applied by them and guidelines for seeking appropriate professionals, if necessary. Results: A descriptive analysis was performed that included calculations of means, standard deviations and frequencies, with the objective of characterizing the motor development profiles of the studied group. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to evaluate the distribution of data related to chronological age and motor age. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between chronological age and general motor age (P=0.473). A positive correlation was observed between chronological age and motor age (r=0.519, P<0.001), suggesting that both increase proportionally. Regarding motor development, 58% of the participants fell within the "average normal" range, while only 7% presented development below that expected for their age group. Comparisons between the sexes showed no significant differences in the motor skills assessed.