2024

Kasanen, Maria

This dissertation investigates the longitudinal relationships from early childhood fundamental movement skills (FMS) to various outcomes, including accelerometer-based time spent in different physical activity (PA) intensities, body mass index (BMI), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and muscular fitness (MF). The FMS are categorized into locomotor skills (LMS) and object control skills (OCS) and are assessed using the process-oriented Test of Gross Motor Development third edition (TGMD-3) and the product-oriented Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder (KTK). The study focuses on children aged 3-8 years living in Finland, with a follow-up period ranging from 3 to 6 years. The results of this dissertation are based on the findings of three sub-studies. Analyses were conducted using two-level regression analysis, along with its extensions including the cross-lagged model and the Cholesky decomposition approach. The findings indicate that higher process-oriented LMS scores, not OCS scores, significantly predict greater engagement in moderate-to-vigorous PA and less sedentary behavior over time. Furthermore, process-oriented LMS were found to be more prominent predictors of later CRF and MF than OCS, while product-oriented LMS overshadowed the predictive power for these fitness components. Additionally, no significant longitudinal relationship was found between BMI and process-oriented FMS or their skill domains. These comprehensive analysis reveals that the longitudinal relationships from FMS to PA intensities and investigated health outcomes are not straightforward. The findings suggest that LMS may be a more prominent predictor than OCS, and that the physical capacity characteristics included in the product-oriented LMS may overshadow the effects of process-oriented methods. However, the overall contribution of FMS may remain relatively minor when most of the variance in outcomes remains unexplained.