Is there any association between school-aged children’s maturity and movement efficiency?

Abstract

Background and aims: Significant biological changes occur during growth spurts, particularly at pre/post-maturity stages. It seems that such changes are associated with neuromuscular patterns, with considerable differences in functional movements performed by growing boys and girls through the process of maturation. The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between school-aged children’s maturity and their ability to move efficiently. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 700 healthy school-aged children, aged 8–17 years, who were randomly selected and divided into ten groups of 35 girls and ten groups of 35 boys. We used maturity offset prediction equations and the Fusionetics tests to evaluate the maturity and movement efficiency, respectively. Furthermore, the relationship between maturity and Fusionetics scores was examined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (P≤0.05). Results: The findings of the study demonstrated that there is a moderate association between maturity and Fusionetics scores (boys r=0.34, P=0.001 and girls r=0.44, P=0.001). The results also estimated that more mature children gain better Fusionetics scores (r=0.45; P=0.001). Conclusion: It seems that maturity is correlated with movement efficiency, and more mature children can obtain better Fusionetics scores. Future research is needed to track maturity-related variations in functional movement scores in adolescence.