Growth, Physical Activity, and Motor Development in Prepubertal Children

201 Pages·2001·3.09 MB·English

by  Toivo Jurimae

GROWTH,
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY,
AND MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT
IN
PREPUBERTAL
CHILDREN
0530—FM 04/18/2001 10:42 AM Page ii
GROWTH,
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY,
AND MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT
IN
PREPUBERTAL
CHILDREN
Toivo Jürimäe and Jaak Jürimäe
CRC Press
Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C.
0530—FM 04/18/2001 10:42 AM Page iv
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jürimäe, T.
Growth, physical activity, and motor development in prepubertal children / Toivo
Jürimäe, Jaak Jürimäe.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8493-0530-6
1. Child development. 2. Motor ability in children. 3. Physical fitness in children. 4.
Children—Nutrition. 5. Pediatrics. I. Jürimäe, Jaak. II. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Growth—Child. 2. Exercise—Child. 3. Motor Skills—Child. WS 103 J95 2001]
RJ47 .J87 2001
612.6′54—dc21 2001025108
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International Standard Book Number 0-8493-0530-6
Library of Congress Card Number 2001025108
Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Printed on acid-free paper
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Dedication
To our father, Dr. Arnold Jürimäe
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0530—FM 04/18/2001 10:42 AM Page vii
The Authors
Toivo Jürimäe, Professor and Ph.D., is Chair of the Department of Sport
Pedagogy at the University of Tartu in Tartu, Estonia. Dr. Toivo Jürimäe grad-
uated from the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Tartu in
1973. He then pursued his doctorate in exercise physiology at the University
of Tartu, graduating in 1980. He also completed an internship at the Charles
University, Prague, Czech Republic, from 1982 to 1983. After working as a
teacher of physical education in secondary schools from 1973 to 1977, he pur-
sued his academic career at the University of Tartu, rising from Assistant
Professor (1977) to Full Professor (1992).
Dr. Toivo Jürimäe is Vice President of the International Association of
Sport Kinetics and a Board Member of the International Society for the
Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) and Federation Internationale D´
Education Physique (FIEP). He is also a member of the American College of
Sports Medicine, the European College of Sport Science, the European
Anthropological Association, the International Council for Physical Activity
and Fitness Research, and the Estonian Physical Education Association. He is
an Editor of Acta Kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis, a co-author of the
monograph Aerobic Exercises (Moscow, 1988), and author and co-author of
more than 150 research articles published in English, several in peer-
reviewed international journals. He also has been an invited speaker at
several international conferences.
Toivo Jürimäe’s main research interests include body composition, phys-
ical activity, motor ability, and motor skills during growth and development.
His research emphasizes health promotion and the reduction of coronary
heart disease risk factors with physical activity.
Jaak Jürimäe, Ph.D.,is a researcher at the Department of Sport Pedagogy at
the University of Tartu in Tartu, Estonia. Dr. Jaak Jürimäe graduated from the
Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Tartu in 1990. He then pur-
sued his M.Sc. in exercise physiology at the University of Tartu, graduating
0530—FM 04/18/2001 10:42 AM Page viii
in 1992. He pursued his Ph.D. at the University of Queensland (Australia),
graduating in 1996. His entire academic career has been connected with the
University of Tartu.
Dr. Jaak Jürimäe is an author and co-author of more than 40 research arti-
cles, most of them published in peer-reviewed international journals. He has
frequently participated in international conferences. Dr. Jürimäe received The
Young Investigator’s Award at the Second Annual Congress of the European
College of Sport Science in 1997. He is a member of the American College of
Sports Medicine, the European College of Sport Science, the International
Association of Sport Kinetics, and the Estonian Physical Education Association.
Jaak Jürimäe´s main research interests include changes in muscle struc-
ture and function with different training loads, and growth and development
in children. In addition, he has been interested in physical fitness and the per-
formances of elite sportsmen. He emphasizes working with rowers.
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Preface
Health of the adult population is closely interwoven with the health of chil-
dren; and the health of children depends on their levels of physical activity,
their motor abilities, and their motor skills. Children are born to move, to
play, and to be physically active. The growth of children depends on the
styles of living and nutritional habits of their parents. Active parents usually
have active and physically skilled children.
Human growth and development have been extensively investigated
and analyzed. Data are available about body stature and body mass of chil-
dren in most countries, and data are also available about infancy and children
older than 10 years of age.
Less attention has been given to studies of anthropometrical parameters,
motor abilities, and motor development of children before puberty — ages 8
to 12 years. This is the period during which a child is at sexual maturation
level 1 or 2, according to Tanner;618 and chronological age may be different
from biological age by 1 to 3 years. This period of somatic growth and devel-
opment is very important since this is the time children begin their school ca-
reers — where the possibilities for voluntary play and movement rapidly
decrease while mental stresses rapidly increase. This is also the time of so-
called prepuberty; or, for some children (accelerants), this is the time for the
beginning of pubertal changes. The beginning of puberty is particularly pre-
sent at this age in children from southern countries. Children from northern
countries tend to mature later.
Many methodologies exist to correctly measure physical activities, motor
abilities, and motor skills of children. Several test batteries have been recom-
mended for the measurement of motor abilities from agencies such as the
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
(AAHPERD), the Youth Fitness and Fitnessgram test batteries in the U.S., and
the Eurofit test battery in Europe. However, universally accepted test batter-
ies for the measurement of motor abilities in prepubertal children are not yet
available.
Problems exist with correct, scientifically accepted measurements of