Abstract

The objective of the study was to compare and relate motor behavior in relation to body mass index (BMI) and sex in children aged 6 to 10 years in Viña del Mar, Chile. 221 students participated (girls, n=102; boys, n=119) with an average age of 7.55 ± 1.31 years. Motor behavior was determined and classified with the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2). The body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on the ratio between weight and height (expressed in W/H2). The nutritional status was determined using the indicators of the Ministry of Health of Chile, which are based on international standards for nutritional evaluation of children and adolescents from 5 to 19 years of age. For result analyses, the sample was divided into two groups (low-normal-weight and overweight-obese) with a confidence interval of 95% (p < 0.05) for comparison between the groups. It was shown that low and normal body mass index boys had better locomotion (p = 0.026) and object control (p = 0.045) in relation to overweight and obese boys. The female sex presented no differences between groups. Amongst boys, BMI is negatively related to motor quotient (p = 0.001), while in girls, no relationship was observed. In terms of gross motor development, low-weight and normal-weight boys are more likely to have a better gross motor development than overweight and obese boys, though not the case in girls. It is concluded that overweight and obese boys have a lower motor skill than normal and low boys.