Association between BMI and body coordination test for children (KTK). A meta analysis

Abstract

The Body Coordination Test for Children (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder, KTK) has been used in the evaluation of motor coordination in young people. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis study was to analyze the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the motor performance by the KTK test in healthy children. The study was based on research indexed in the electronic databases PubMed and SciELO. The descriptors were "Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder" and "KTK". Studies published in English and Portuguese until October 2014 were considered. The quality of the studies was determined by PEDro and STROBE scales. Meta-analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis V2 software. A total of 10 studies were included. The overall result based on the fixed effects model showed that higher values of the BMI are directly associated with low performance in the KTK. Despite the small difference between genders, the magnitude of the association effect was classified as small, but significant for males (r = 0.29; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.32; Z = 22.47; p = 0.000) and moderate for females (r = 0.32; 95% CI 0.30 to 0.34; Z = 24.76, p = 0.000). Studies have shown different characteristics as the sample size and the age of the subjects, and none of them have analyzed the maturational status of the participants. Based on these results, there is a trend of a positive relationship between high values of BMI and low performance in the KTK.