Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41761568›Full record

SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2026

Relationship Between Fundamental Motor Skill Proficiency and the Development of Overweight and Obesity in Normally Developing Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Dong Zhang, Soh Kim Geok, Yoke Mun Chan, Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh, Shanshan He

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Dong ZhangCollege of Physical Education, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou, Fujian, China.
Soh Kim GeokDepartment of Sports Studies, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Yoke Mun ChanDepartment of Dietetics and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Zeinab ZaremohzzabiehInstitute for Social Science Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Shanshan HeDepartment of Business, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has been recognized as a global challenge and poses a severe threat to the health and development of children. Mastery of fundamental motor skills is suggested to be closely related to reducing the risk of obesity.

objectiveThe objective of this study is to evaluate and provide evidence regarding the correlation between fundamental motor skill proficiency and the development of overweight and obesity during the period from 2013 to 2025.

methodsFour databases were surveyed based on the PRISMA standards from January 2013 to April 2025. Studies exploring and analyzing the relationships between fundamental motor skills and overweight or obesity in children aged 3-12 were considered for inclusion.

resultsForty-seven articles were included, and a meta-analysis was done on 19 of these selected papers. The analysis revealed a statistically significant moderate correlation between overall FMS and BMI (r = -0.314, 95% confidence interval -0.330 to -0.298, p < 0.001) and small correlations for both locomotor skills (r = -0.270, 95% confidence interval -0.289 to -0.251, p < 0.001) and object control skill (r = -0.162, 95% confidence interval -0.182 to -0.142, p < 0.001) with BMI.

conclusionsThere is a significant negative correlation between children's fundamental motor skills and weight status, with children of normal weight consistently outperforming children with obesity. Limited longitudinal evidence suggests that lower FMS levels may be associated with a higher risk of obesity. Further longitudinal and intervention research is needed to confirm its predictive value.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentMotor SkillsPediatric ObesityBody Mass IndexChildChild, PreschoolHumansOverweightchildrenfundamental motor skillobesityoverweight

Identifiers

PMID41761568
PMCPMC13371399

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.