Cross-Cultural Comparison of Fundamental Movement Skills of Children of Iranian Ethnicities

Abstract

Background: Cross-cultural studies can provide information on how different cultural contexts, lifestyles, and physical activity play a role in the development of motor skills. We aimed at a cross-cultural comparison of fundamental movement skills of children of Iranian ethnicities. Methods: The statistical population included boys and girls aged 7 to 9 years from the centers of Tehran (Persian), Lorestan (Lor), Khuzestan (Arab) and Kurdistan (Kurdish) provinces in 2021 year. Overall, 240 people (60 from each province) participated in this research as a sample. Ulric Gross Motor development test (2000) was used to measure the Fundamental Movement skills. Results: Results of multivariate analysis of variance showed that the main effect of culture (ethnicity) and interaction of culture and gender on Loco motor and object control skills were significant (P=0/001). In the total score of fundamental movement skills, the results showed that boys children scored significantly higher than girls (P=0/001). Moreover, Lor and Kurdish children significantly performed better than Fars and Arab children (P=0/001), but no significant difference was observed between the other ethnicities (P=0/452). Conclusion: Differences in the levels of fundamental movement skills of children of different ethnicities may be due to different physical and cultural activities, attitudes, and motor habits.