Body fat is related with poor motor skills and physical fitness in socially assisted children and adolescents regardless of age, sex, and body mass index.

Objective: To analyze the relationship between body fat, motor skills, and physical fitness in children and adolescents.

Methods: 216 children and adolescents (143 males and 73 females, aged 5-15 years) from a social project composed this study. Body mass and height were measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI). DXA was used to estimate the percentage of body fat (BF). The Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) was used to assess motor skills (jumping sideways test corresponds to speed, walking backwards to balance and moving sideways to laterality), modified pull-ups to measure upper limb strength and the 1-mile run/walk test to estimate maximal oxygen uptake.

Results: In unadjusted models, BF was a significant negative predictor for almost all motor skills and physical fitness variables measured (jumping sideways: β= -0.16; 95%CI= -0.40 to 0.03/ walking backwards: β= -0.25; 95%CI= -0.54 to -0.18/ modified pull-ups: β= -0.43; 95%CI= -0.17 to -0.09/ 1-mile run/walk: β= -0.18 95%CI= -0.39 to -0.06). Except moving sideways (β= -0.05; 95%CI= -0.12 to 0.05). Subsequently, it was inserted confounders in the regression models. In the model considering sex and age, the significance remained exactly the same compared to the model without adjustment. When considering the BMI adjustment, only walking backwards (β= -0.37; 95%CI= -0.88; -0.17) and modified pull-up (β= -1.01; 95%CI= -0.39; -0.23) remained significant.

Conclusion: In children and adolescents socially assisted, BF was negatively related to motor skills and physical fitness regardless of age, sex, and BMI.