Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate a 3-factor model of fundamental movement skills in preschool children, incorporating both process- and product-oriented assessment methods, and to test the model's invariance across subgroups of age, body weight and sex.
Methods: The SALTO test battery was administered to 736 preschool children aged 3-6 years. A single-indicator multitrait-multimethod model was specified with Locomotion, Object Manipulation, and Balance as latent factors and a latent method factor to address the multimethod design.
Background: The prevalence of early childhood overweight and obesity in Austria has reached average European levels of 20% in boys and 18% in girls. The rationale and study protocol of SALTO, Salzburg Together against Obesity will be presented, which is aimed to assist adults in increasing the rate of 4- to 6-year-old children with a healthy body weight.
Methods: A controlled longitudinal sequential study design consisting of 14 intervention (IK) and 8 control (CK) kindergarten was used to investigate the effect of actions tailored for teachers and parents on BMI among 4- to 6-year-old children.