Effects Of A School-based Physical Activity Intervention On Preschoolers’ Fundamental Motor Skills: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are crucial for child development and serve as a foundation for lifelong engagement in physical activity (PA). Unfortunately, many children have suboptimal levels of FMS. The study investigated the effects of a school-based PA intervention on FMS in Chinese preschoolers. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of a school-based PA on FMS among Chinese preschool-aged children. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, involving 119 preschoolers (57 boys; 5.11 ± 0.64 years old) from 21 preschool classes in Shenzhen, China. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (IN, n = 12) or a wait-list control group (CG, n = 9). The program constituted a whole-school health promotion intervention encompassing four key components: a. quality physical education classes; b. professional development for teachers; c. active physical activity homework; d. energetic playgrounds. Over 12 weeks, the intervention group received the program, while the control group received usual preschool curriculum. Outcomes included FMS competence (Test of Gross Motor Development-3, including locomotor skills and objective control skills) assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. Intention-to-treat analyses were adopted, and mean differences among groups for each outcome were tested by two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with repeated measures, while adjusting for age and sex. The effect size (ES) was reported as an η2 (partial eta square) value. RESULTS: The intervention showed significant improvements in locomotor skills (F = 380.49, p < 0.001, ES = 0.77) and objective control skills (F = 231.08, p < 0.001, ES = 0.67) after the 12-week intervention. Both IN and CG showed enhancement in locomotor skills and objective control skills, but IN demonstrated significantly greater improvements compared to CG (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that a 12-week school-based PA intervention appeared to be effective in improving FMS among Chinese preschool-aged children in the short-term. Further research is needed to investigate how to improve the effectiveness of school-based PA interventions and achieve sustainable improvements in children’s FMS and other health-related outcomes.