ReviewHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Motor Competence in Children Aged 5-10 Years-A Systematic Review.
Review in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMotor competence (MC), physical activity (PA), and physical fitness (PF) are interrelated components of child development, yet evidence on the MC-PF-PA triad in middle childhood remains inconsistent due to methodological heterogeneity.
objectiveTo synthesise associations between MC, PF, and PA in children aged 5-10 years (2020-2025) and to appraise methodological quality and certainty.
methodsA PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42024617560) searched six databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SportDiscus, SciELO, PsycINFO) from January 2020 to April 2025, updated November 2025. Eligible observational studies in English reported quantitative associations between ≥2 constructs in 5-10-year-olds using validated instruments. Risk of bias was appraised in duplicate with JBI checklists. Quantitative pooling was unfeasible under a pre-specified pooling matrix; associations were synthesised narratively and certainty rated using a GRADE-style framework.
resultsThirteen studies (n = 43-1064; 11 cross-sectional, 2 longitudinal) were included; six were low, five moderate, and two high risk of bias. MC-PA was predominantly positive, especially with objective instruments; MC-PF was consistently positive; PF-PA was less consistent but trended positive longitudinally. Mediation/moderation analyses (k = 3) supported roles for perceived competence, self-efficacy, and PF. Null/negative findings clustered among subjective PA measures and higher risk of bias. GRADE certainty was low-to-moderate.
conclusionsMC, PF, and PA are interconnected in middle childhood, but cross-sectional predominance and instrument heterogeneity preclude causal inference; findings are provisional and should drive longitudinal, methodologically standardised research.
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Registered trials
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.