Coarse and Fine Motor Skills and Some Factors Affecting Them in Children in Bushehr, 2019

Motor skills disorders are one of the most common disorders among school-age children. Given the importance of motor skills in health, the present study was conducted to investigate the coarse and fine motor skills and some factors affecting them in children in Bushehr, 2019.

In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, 403 school-age children in Bushehr were examined in 2019. Samples were selected by cluster random sampling from each district of Bushehr city and from Governmental and non-governmental schools for boys and girls. Data collection tools included a demographic characteristics form, the measurement of anthropometric indicators, and the short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analytical tests (Univariate and multivariate regression). The level of significance in all cases was considered less than 0.05.

The mean age of the children participating in the study was 9.65±1.72 years, and the mean scores of the coarse and fine motor skills were 29.18±7.52 and 28.00±5.17, respectively. Predictor variables of coarse motor skills together explained 18% of the variance of this variable and the tested model was statistically significant (P<0.001). Male gender, child’s age, fatherchr('39')s level of education (undergraduate) had a direct relationship and being a mother employee and body mass index (BMI) were inversely related to coarse motor skills (P<0.05). The predictor variables of fine motor skills together explained 22% of the variance of this variable and the tested model was statistically significant (P<0.001). Child’s age and father’s level of education (undergraduate) were directly related to fine motor skills (P<0.05).

It is necessary to take appropriate measures to improve motor skills in children through programs based on family, school and community, especially for girls, children with high BMI and children with working mothers. It is recommended that future and long-term studies be performed using .process-oriented tools to examine factors related to childrenchr('39')s motor skills.