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Objective : To evaluate how different physical activity (PA) interventions (traditional, exergaming, and teacher/parent education) impacted children's motor skills (object control, locomotor, and gross motor). Design : Systematic review and network meta-analysis. Data sources : PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Eligibility criteria : (1) Participants comprised 1708 children 3-12 years; (2) PA or exercise-based interventions were investigated; (3) only studies using a Test of Gross Motor Skills assessment were included; (4) RCT were chosen as the study design to assess the impact of PA interventions on children's motor skills; and (5) culture-based PA studies with English language only were included. Data were analyzed using a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Results : The results were reported as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with associated 95% credible intervals (CrIs). For object control, aerobic intervention (SMD 6.90, 95% Crl 1.39 to 13.50); for locomotor, exergaming intervention (SMD 12.50, 95% Crl 0.28 to 24.50); and for gross motor, aerobic intervention (SMD 7.49, 95% Crl 0.11 to 15.70) were the most effective treatments. Conclusion : Children's FMSs have been improved through different PA interventions. Among them, aerobic interventions seem to be the most effective intervention in enhancing object control skills and overall gross motor skills.

Objective: This systematic review synthesized current randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining casual evidence regarding the effects of traditional and exergaming-based physical activity (PA) interventions on motor skill development in typically developed children (i.e., those aged 6-12 years)., Methods: We adhered to the PRISMA-P statement and searched electronic databases (Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, PubMed, ERIC, Scopus, and SportDiscus) from inception through July 2020. We screened for peer reviewed RCTs published in English between 2000 and 2020 examining the effect of PA on motor skill development in healthy children., Results: A total of 25 RCTs were included, 20 (80%) of which reported significant improvements in children's motor skill performance. Specifically, 18 studies examined traditional PA interventions and 7 studies examined exergaming-based PA interventions, 83% and 71% of which observed statistically significant improvements in children's motor skill development, respectively., Conclusions: Findings support the causal evidence regarding the effects of PA on motor skill development in children. Notable limitations of this review included heterogeneity of measurement protocols and assessment tools used to test children's motor skills across studies, a wide range of PA intervention dose across studies, and the lack of power analyses and long-term follow-up assessments in individual studies to discern appropriate sample sizes and long-term effectiveness, respectively. To further strengthen the evidence in this emerging field, we advocate for future RCTs to employ a priori power analyses, long-term follow-up measurements, and more exergaming-based interventions to allow for comparisons with traditional PA interventions, to explore the dose response and moderating relationships between PA and motor skill development in childhood, and to utilize homogenous assessment instruments to allow for more rigorous, quantitative syntheses., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Daniel J. McDonough et al.)

Purpose : To better promote college students' physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL), it is imperative to understand this population's PA correlates, such as self-determined motivation and perceived competence. However, few studies existed in this area of inquiry among Chinese college students. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among Chinese college students' self-determined motivation, PA, and QoL. Method: A total of 220 college students (115 females; M age = 20.29 years, SD = 2.37; M BMI = 20.67) were recruited from one university in south-central China. Participants were instructed to wear the ActiGraph GT9X Link (ActiGraph, Pensacola, FL, USA) accelerometers for 7 days. A minute-by-minute stepping rate methodology was used to determine participants sedentary behaviors, light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Participants' self-determined motivation (autonomous, controlled, and amotivation), perceived competence, and QoL (physical function, stress, depression, fatigue, sleep, and social issues) were assessed by a battery of validated surveys in June 2017. Results : Participants reported moderate-high levels of PA correlates and QoL as the means ranged from 5.5 to 6 (out of 7) for PA correlates and 2.75 to 4 (out of 4) for QoL. The minute-by-minute stepping rate revealed participants had average 580.51 min/day in sedentary, 134.77 min/day in LPA, and 1.57 min/day in MVPA. Regression analyses for physical function, stress, depression, and social issues suggested that the models explained 4%-8% of the variances. Specifically, perceived competence was the negative predictor of the problems with physical function (β = -0.17, p < 0.05) and depression (β = -0.18, p < 0.01), amotivation was positively associated with depression and stress ( p < 0.05). Additionally, controlled motivation predicted the ability to participate in social roles and activities (β = 0.22, p < 0.05). No significant predictors emerged for fatigue or for sleep. Conclusions : Findings suggest Chinese college students' perceived competence and social support are critical for improving PA and QoL. In addition, strategies are needed to motivate Chinese college students to engage in PA participation and improve overall well-being.

Aim: This study examined the relationships between energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) outside school hours and obesity in Chinese primary school students. We also explored the influence of gender on those relationships.Methods: The study sample was a cross-sectional cohort of 5032 Chinese children who were enrolled in grades 1-6 in primary schools in five Chinese cities and whose mean ages ranged from seven years and three months to 11.9 years. The children's parents completed a survey on their child's height, weight and EBRBs outside school hours.Results: The response rate was 97%, and the reported rates of overweight and obesity were 13.6% and 13.8%, respectively. The obesity rates were higher in boys and lower grade children. Most EBRBs varied between boys and girls and with increased grade levels. The amount of time spent on academic-related activities, screen viewing, outdoor activities and sleep was mostly associated with obesity on weekdays and varied by gender.Conclusion: Rate of obesity was alarmingly high in the primary school Chinese children in this cohort, especially in younger children. Excessive time spent on academic-related activities outside school hours, inadequate sleep, physical inactivity and higher levels of screen viewing were major contributors to obesity in these Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of innovative technology, such as virtual reality (VR), has provided opportunities for promoting physical activity (PA) in a fun and engaging manner. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in young adults' situational motivation (SM) among immersive VR, non-immersive VR, and traditional stationary cycling sessions. In all, 49 healthy college students (35 females; Mage = 23.6 years, SD = 3.4; M%BF = 24.0%, SD = 7.5) completed three separate 20 min cycling sessions: (1) immersive VR cycling; (2) non-immersive VR cycling; and (3) traditional cycling. Participants' SM was assessed via the situational motivation scale, which included four subconstructs: intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation. Repeated measures ANOVAs indicated significant differences for situational motivation between cycling sessions (F (2, 96) = 4.74–53.04, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.090–0.525). Specifically, participants elicited the highest level of intrinsic motivation in immersive VR cycling compared to the other two sessions. Moreover, participants in both immersive VR and traditional cycling showed greater identified regulation than the non-immersive VR session. Furthermore, participants showed greater external regulation compared to the immersive VR session. In addition, greater amotivation was observed in non-immersive VR compared to the immersive VR session. Findings suggested that immersive VR exercise has the potential to be an attractive exercise alternative, possibly promoting greater PA participation and adherence among young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]