Comparison of Physical Activity, Fitness and Motor Skills Between Profiles of Sport Participation and Outdoor Time During Nine Years of Childhood

INTRODUCTION: The types of children's physical activity (PA) vary individually and across different ages, yet limited evidence exists what are the combinations of organised sports participation and non-organised outdoor time, and how they relate to PA, physical fitness, and motor skills. METHODS: A total of 1,115 Finnish children (50.0% girls) aged 3-14 years were assessed at three time points: T1 (3-8 years), T2 (6-11 years), and T3 (9-14 years) between 2015 and 2023. Organised sports participation and outdoor time were reported by parents at all time points. PA was measured using accelerometers at T2 and T3. Physical fitness was assessed at T3 (20-metre shuttle run, push-ups, and curl-ups), and motor skills at T1-T2 (shortened version of the Test of Gross Motor Development) and T3 (throw-catch and 5-leaps test). Latent class analysis (LCA) identified participation profiles, which were compared using the BCH method in Mplus. RESULTS: LCA identified four distinct participation patterns: 1) multisport with high outdoor time (n = 234), 2) multisport with moderate outdoor time (n = 310), 3) one-sport with low outdoor time (n = 275) and 4) low-sport with high outdoor time (n = 296). Significant differences (p <. 05) were found in the profiles for all outcomes. Children in the multisport with a high outdoor time profile generally showed higher results in moderate-to-vigorous PA (18.0 - 51.5 %), fitness items (-13.6 - 116.2 %), and motor skills (1.1 - 69.0 %) compared to the other profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Children engaging in multisport combined with high outdoor time is associated with higher PA, fitness, and motor skills across childhood.