Thursday 1 November Papers / Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 15 (2013) S34S126

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tness. For boys there was a clear association between low competency in object-control skills and not meeting physical activity recommendations. Conversely, the odds of being inactive were double among girls who had low competency in locomotor skills. Discussion: This is the rst study to examine the associations between low skill competence (a new and novel way to report motor skills) and a range of health-related and socio-demographic factors in a large representative sample of children and youth. Low competency in FMS is strongly associated with lower cardiorespiratory tness and physical activity levels in children and adolescents. The characteristics of students with competency in FMS differ by sex and skills types and show that interventions need to target girls from low SES backgrounds and boys from non-English-speaking cultural backgrounds. The high prevalence of low competency in FMS among Grade 4 students indicates that FMS interventions need to start during the pre-school and early preschool years. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.11.142 140 The level of physical abilities in 7-year-old children in relation to the time spent on the computer games E. Ciesla , M. Wojciechowska, M. Markowska Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland Introduction: Limiting the level of daily physical activity results in the increase in the percentage of individuals diagnosed with numerous conditions. Very often health issues affect children as young as preschool age. Besides sedentary lifestyle and low physical activity do not enhance physical performance or learning and practicing new physical tasks. The aim of the research is to dene the differences in the level of physical abilities in relation to the time spent on the computer game. Materials and Methods: The research study was conducted in 2006 based on a randomly selected group of children. The study included the results of 23,893 children at 7 year old (11,702 girls and 12,191 boys) with complete research data concerning their physical abilities and the time spent on computer games. The diagnosed skills included throws and catches of ball, jumps, kicks, run and overall coordination of a child when performing physical exercises. The questionnaire was addressed to parents and served as a means of collecting data regarding the family environment of the children and the amount of time they spend on the computer. The research participants were grouped into 4 categories based on the amount of time spent in front of the computer. A single factor variance analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results: In both gender groups statistical differences were observed with regard to the level of physical abilities depending on the time spent on the computer. In both groups differences in the time spent on computer games were noted. In all cases it was observed that the assessment of physical abilities of those children whose parents indicated an hour or more on the computer is signicantly lower compared to those children who do not spend any time or only several minutes in front of the computer. The statistical signicance levels are p0.01 and p0.001. Discussion: In Poland only 1/5 of preschool-age children attend preschool. The one-year kindergarten education program meant to equip a child for school does not provide opportunities for learning and developing physical skills required for school. In this case, parental involvement in the realization of educational programs aimed at physical education of children is necessary. It is suggested that physical activity of preschool-age children should

be monitored in order to identify negative changes in the ways they spend free time. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.11.143 141 Parents and childrens perceptions of whether active video games can help childrens fundamental movement skills N. Ridgers 1, , L. Barnett 2 , L. Hanna 2 , J. Salmon 1
1 2

Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University

Introduction: Considerable research in recent years has examined the energy cost associated with playing seated and active video games. However, no research has focused on whether active video gaming (AVG) may benet fundamental movement skills (FMS) in typically developing children, even though AVGs with a sport focus (e.g. Wii Tennis) are marketed as requiring similar skills to play. Improving skill prociency is a priority as FMS prociency has cross-sectional and longitudinal associations with physical activity; and childrens prociency levels are low. This study aimed to identify children and their parents perceptions of AVGs as a tool for developing FMS. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was carried out exploring parents and childrens perceptions of the potential of AVGs to contribute to movement skill development. Twenty-nine parents of children aged 910 years participated in semi-structured telephone interviews while 38 children participated in 5 focus groups at school. Interview and focus group data were recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically. Results: Parents and children had different perspectives on the potential of AVGs for movement skills, which largely rested on different views of reality. Parents felt AVGs were not a substitute for the real thing, and therefore had limited FMS benets. Some parents felt there might be some benets of AVGs for some kids (these were focused on children perceived as disadvantaged in some way) but not for their own child. Overall, parents thought any FMS gained through AVGs would have poor transferability to real life contexts. In contrast, children had a more uid and expansive view of reality which incorporated both real life and virtual space. Whilst children could articulate limitations of AVGs for skill learning, they still reported extensive use of AVGs as a learning tool for movement skill and considered that skill acquisition was highly transferable in both directions between AVGs and real life settings. Discussion: Despite contrasting beliefs from parents and children about the transferability of skills used to play AVGs into real world settings, children often used AVGs for movement skill learning purposes. Future research is needed to determine whether actual FMS benets are gained through playing AVGs. With the increasing prevalence of electronic gaming (particularly seated gaming) amongst children, AVGs provide an opportunity to benet health. Research is needed to establish what the potential benets for children might be. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.11.144