The aim of this study was to verify the relationship between habitual physical activity, physical fitness, and motor competence in school children. In total, 100 children aged 8-10 years took part in this study, subdivided into 2 groups: the Physical Education Group (PEG) characterized only by practical classes of Physical Education; and another group that performed Systematized Physical Activity (SPA). Habitual physical activity was investigated using the webdafa questionnaire. The physical fitness battery included a 20-meter running test, throwing a medicine ball, a horizontal jump test, and running for six minutes. Motor competence was measured by the TGMD-2 test. For statistical analysis we used the Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney and Chi-square Fisher tests. The results demonstrated moderate correlations between habitual physical activity and the 20-meter running test (r=0.41) and (r=0.49) motor competence. Furthermore, moderate correlations were found between physical fitness and motor competence in the horizontal jump test (r=0.55), running for six minutes (r=0.50), and 20 meter running test (r=0.65). In conclusion, it was observed that the SPA demonstrated better results and the school physical education classes were not sufficient to ensure adequate levels of habitual physical activity, physical fitness, or motor competence in the children in the present study.

ResumoAtividades físicas programadas na infância são reconhecidas por ocasionar mudanças nos diversos aspectos do desenvolvimento das crianças. Assim, o presente estudo objetivou verificar o impacto da atividade esportiva programada de ballet clássico e de futsal sobre indicadores de motricidade global e de equilíbrio em crianças. A amostra foi composta por 160 crianças entre sete e 10 anos de idade. Oitenta crianças de ambos os sexos foram selecionadas no ambiente escolar e compuseram os grupos de escolares, caracterizado pela prática exclusiva de Educação Física escolar. Os grupos vinculados à prática esportiva foram compostos por 40 crianças do sexo feminino, praticantes de "ballet" clássico e 40 do sexo masculino, praticantes de futsal, caracterizando os grupos de prática sistematizada. Para a avaliação motora foram aplicados os testes de motricidade global e equilíbrio da Escala de Desenvolvimento Motor "EDM". Além disso, o questionário de atividade física habitual foi utilizado para calcular o gasto energético. A distribuição dos dados foi verificada através do teste Shapiro-Wilk, e em seguida foram aplicados os testes não-paramétricos Kruskall-Wallis com post hoc U de Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon e Qui-Quadrado de Pearson. O nível de significância foi estabelecido em 5% (p ≤ 0,05). Resultados significantes foram encontrados entre os grupos de prática sistematizada com índices classificados como superiores e percentuais maiores em Idade Motora em Motricidade Global (IMMG) e Idade Motora em Equilíbrio (IME) do que idade cronológica (IC). Conclui-se que as crianças praticantes de atividades esportivas demonstraram superioridade nos testes aplicados quando comparados ao grupo controle, em que mais de 65% apresentam classificação normal.

AbstractIt is recognized that systematic physical activities cause changes in many aspects of children's development. Thus, the present study aimed to verify the impact of programmed sports activities, classical ballet and futsal, on indicators of global motor function and balance in children. The sample consisted of 160 children between 7 and 10 years of age. Eighty school children of both sexes were selected, characterized by the exclusive practice of school Physical Education. The programmed sports groups were composed of 40 female children, classical ballet practitioners, and 40 males who participated in futsal, characterizing the systematized practice group. The Motor Development Scale MDS was applied to assess global motor function and balance. In addition, the habitual physical activity questionnaire was used to calculate energy expenditure. Data distribution was verified using the Shapiro-Wilk's test and then were applied non-parametric tests of the Kruskall-Wallis test with post hoc Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon and Chi-Square Pearson tests. The significance level was set at 5% (p ≤ 0.05). Significant results were found in the systematized practice groups, with indices classified as superior and higher percentage for Motor Age of Global Motricity (MAGM) and Motor Age of Balance (MAB), when compared to chronological age (CA). In conclusion the children who practiced programmed sports activities demonstrated superiority in the tests when compared to the control group, where more than 65% were classified as normal.