Influences of gender and socioeconomic status on motor Proficiency of Primary School Children in the UK

As the development of movement skills are so crucial to a child's involvement in lifelong physical activity and sport, the purpose of this study was to assess the motor proficiency of children aged 4-7years (range=4.3-7.2years), whilst considering gender and socioeconomic status. 369 children (176 females, 193 males, aged=5.96±0.57years) were assessed for fine motor precision, fine motor integration, manual dexterity, bilateral co-ordination, balance, speed and agility, upper-limb co-ordination and strength. The average standard score for all participants was 44.4±8.9, classifying the participants towards the lower end of the average score. Multivariate analysis of covariance identified significant effects for gender (p<0.001) and socioeconomic status (p