Prevalence of fundamental movement skill mastery in school-aged children and adolescents: a systematic review.

Background: This systematic review aimed to summarise worldwide levels of fundamental movement skills (FMS) mastery in children and adolescents according to their age and sex.

Methods: Studies were identified by searching three electronic databases (Medline, Scopus and Web of Science). The final search included literature up to 28 December 2023. Only studies assessing FMS mastery in typically developing children or adolescents using process-oriented tools were included. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklists. The results of studies were quantitatively summarised, and weighted means of mastery levels were calculated based on age and sex.

Results: 31 studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising data from 22 595 subjects across 10 different countries. FMS mastery generally increases with age, although different FMS develop at different rates. In terms of sex, males demonstrated higher mastery in most object-control skills, while females outperformed males in all stability skills and certain locomotor skills.

Discussion: These findings provide valuable insights into age-related trends and sex differences in FMS development among children and adolescents. It seems that many children worldwide do not achieve mastery in most FMS during childhood. Regular FMS assessments are crucial to identify development delays and to design appropriate interventions. Moreover, there appear to be specific ages at which developing targeted interventions for certain FMS is more critical, as mastery of these skills is more readily attainable.

Prospero registration number: CRD42023404061.