Spending more Time on TV and PC Impair Children's Motor Skills

Children's tendency to spend more time on activities like watching TV and sitting at computers can have a negative impact on their basic motor coordination skills such as walking, throwing and catching, a new study warns parents.

The study published in the American Journal of Human Biology found children with sedentary behavior having poor motor coordination skills compared with the active children.

"Childhood is a critical time for the development of motor coordination skills which are essential for health and well-being," lead author Dr Luis Lopes, from the University of Minho, said in a statement. "We know that sedentary lifestyles have a negative effect on these skills and are associated with decreased fitness, lower self-esteem, decreased academic achievement and increased obesity."

According to the pioneers of the study, physical activity alone cannot overcome the negative impact of children's inactive lifestyle.

"It is very clear from our study that a high level of sedentary behaviour is an independent predictor of low motor coordination, regardless of physical activity levels and other key factors" said Lopes.

Lopes and colleagues included 213 Potuguese children (110 girls and 103 boys) for reaching a conclusion. The participants aged between nine and ten were selected from 13 elementary schools.

With the help of accelerometers, investigators measured the sedentary and physical activity of the children. A test called KTK was conducted to measure the motor coordination skills. Apart from these tests parents shared details about their children's health.

The findings showed the impact high on boys than girls.

 Sedentary behaviour in girls (77.3 percent or more) was found bringing the motor coordination skill down four to five times. On the other hand, with boys, a sedentary time of 76 percent decreased the motor skills by five and nine times.

"High sedentary behaviour had a significant impact on the children's motor coordination, with boys being more adversely affected than girls," Lopes said.

"The results demonstrate the importance of setting a maximum time for sedentary behaviour, while encouraging children to increase their amount of physical activity."