Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective
A much-cited model by Stodden and colleagues has proposed motor competence to be a 17 promising target for intervention to increase childhood physical activity. Motor competence is thought to influence future physical activity through bidirectional causal effects that are partly direct, and partly m...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1480631/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850172865251377152 |
|---|---|
| author | Yahua Zi Yahua Zi Eco J. C. de Geus Eco J. C. de Geus |
| author_facet | Yahua Zi Yahua Zi Eco J. C. de Geus Eco J. C. de Geus |
| author_sort | Yahua Zi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A much-cited model by Stodden and colleagues has proposed motor competence to be a 17 promising target for intervention to increase childhood physical activity. Motor competence is thought to influence future physical activity through bidirectional causal effects that are partly direct, and partly mediated by perceived motor competence and physical fitness. Here, we argue that the model is incomplete by ignoring potential confounding effects of age-specific and age-invariant factors related to genetics and the shared family environment. We examined 106 systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses on the Stodden model for the mention of familial confounding. These reviews summarized data from 1,344 primary studies on children in the age range 0–18 on the associations in five bidirectional pathways: motor competence—physical activity, motor competence—perceived motor competence, perceived motor competence—physical activity, motor competence—physical fitness, and physical fitness—physical activity. We show that a behavioral genetic perspective has been completely lacking from this vast literature, despite repeated evidence for a substantial contribution of genetic and shared environmental factors to motor competence (h2 = ♂55%—♀58%; c2 = ♂31%—♀29%), physical fitness (h2 = ♂65%—♀67%; c2 = ♂3%—♀2%), and physical activity (h2 = ♂37%—♀29%; c2 = ♂33%—♀49%). Focusing on the alleged causal path from motor competence to physical activity, we find that the systematic reviews provide strong evidence for an association in cross-sectional studies, but weak evidence of prediction of physical activity by motor competence in longitudinal studies, and indeterminate effects of interventions on motor competence. Reviews on interventions on physical activity, in contrast, provide strong evidence for an effect on motor competence. We conclude that reverse causality with familial confounding are the main sources of the observed association between motor competence and physical activity in youth. There is an unabated need studies on the interplay between motor competence, perceived motor competence, physical fitness, and physical activity across early childhood and into adolescence, but such studies need to be done in genetically informative samples. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eafc5a3ea7af40eb8bbea9f7cd07a367 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-eafc5a3ea7af40eb8bbea9f7cd07a3672025-08-20T02:19:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-04-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.14806311480631Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspectiveYahua Zi0Yahua Zi1Eco J. C. de Geus2Eco J. C. de Geus3Department of Biological Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, NetherlandsSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Biological Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, NetherlandsAmsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, NetherlandsA much-cited model by Stodden and colleagues has proposed motor competence to be a 17 promising target for intervention to increase childhood physical activity. Motor competence is thought to influence future physical activity through bidirectional causal effects that are partly direct, and partly mediated by perceived motor competence and physical fitness. Here, we argue that the model is incomplete by ignoring potential confounding effects of age-specific and age-invariant factors related to genetics and the shared family environment. We examined 106 systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses on the Stodden model for the mention of familial confounding. These reviews summarized data from 1,344 primary studies on children in the age range 0–18 on the associations in five bidirectional pathways: motor competence—physical activity, motor competence—perceived motor competence, perceived motor competence—physical activity, motor competence—physical fitness, and physical fitness—physical activity. We show that a behavioral genetic perspective has been completely lacking from this vast literature, despite repeated evidence for a substantial contribution of genetic and shared environmental factors to motor competence (h2 = ♂55%—♀58%; c2 = ♂31%—♀29%), physical fitness (h2 = ♂65%—♀67%; c2 = ♂3%—♀2%), and physical activity (h2 = ♂37%—♀29%; c2 = ♂33%—♀49%). Focusing on the alleged causal path from motor competence to physical activity, we find that the systematic reviews provide strong evidence for an association in cross-sectional studies, but weak evidence of prediction of physical activity by motor competence in longitudinal studies, and indeterminate effects of interventions on motor competence. Reviews on interventions on physical activity, in contrast, provide strong evidence for an effect on motor competence. We conclude that reverse causality with familial confounding are the main sources of the observed association between motor competence and physical activity in youth. There is an unabated need studies on the interplay between motor competence, perceived motor competence, physical fitness, and physical activity across early childhood and into adolescence, but such studies need to be done in genetically informative samples.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1480631/fullmotor developmentStodden modeltwin studiesperceived motor competencecardiorespiratory fitnessmuscular fitness |
| spellingShingle | Yahua Zi Yahua Zi Eco J. C. de Geus Eco J. C. de Geus Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective Frontiers in Psychology motor development Stodden model twin studies perceived motor competence cardiorespiratory fitness muscular fitness |
| title | Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective |
| title_full | Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective |
| title_fullStr | Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective |
| title_short | Reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective |
| title_sort | reviewing the association between motor competence and physical activity from a behavioral genetic perspective |
| topic | motor development Stodden model twin studies perceived motor competence cardiorespiratory fitness muscular fitness |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1480631/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yahuazi reviewingtheassociationbetweenmotorcompetenceandphysicalactivityfromabehavioralgeneticperspective AT yahuazi reviewingtheassociationbetweenmotorcompetenceandphysicalactivityfromabehavioralgeneticperspective AT ecojcdegeus reviewingtheassociationbetweenmotorcompetenceandphysicalactivityfromabehavioralgeneticperspective AT ecojcdegeus reviewingtheassociationbetweenmotorcompetenceandphysicalactivityfromabehavioralgeneticperspective |