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Children
Special Issues
Physical Activity and Physical Fitness Among Children and Adolescents
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Physical Activity and Physical Fitness Among Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 513

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kristy Howells

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Social Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK
Interests: physical education; physical activity; physical development; mental health; health education; early movement; early childhood education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dan Jones

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BX, UK
Interests: maternal and infant health; physical activity; children; exercise; overweight
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to announce a Special Issue of Children focused on "Physical Activity and Physical Fitness Among Children and Adolescents". Physical activity is fundamental to the holistic development of children and young people, offering significant physical, mental, and social benefits. From building strong bones and muscles to improving cardiorespiratory fitness and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, active lifestyles lay the foundation for lifelong health and well-being. Moreover, regular physical activity is increasingly being recognized for its role in enhancing cognitive development, academic performance, and emotional resilience.

This Special Issue seeks to explore the multifaceted impact of physical activity and fitness on children and adolescents, addressing critical themes such as movement behaviours, intervention strategies, motor skills, and competency development, as well as the role of education and policy in fostering active lifestyles. We invite submissions from diverse methodological approaches, including original research, reviews, intervention studies, and qualitative insights, to deepen our understanding of how to support and sustain active living for the next generation.

Dr. Kristy Howells
Dr. Dan Jones
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • physical activity
  • physical fitness
  • motor competency
  • healthy lifestyles
  • movement behaviours

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 414 KiB  
Article
Associations Between Relative Age, Siblings, and Motor Competence in Children and Adolescents
by Daniel González-Devesa, José Carlos Diz-Gómez, Pedro Vicente-Vila, Marta Domínguez Fernández, Miguel Rodríguez Rodríguez, Rocío Carballo-Afonso, Miguel Adriano Sanchez-Lastra and Carlos Ayán-Pérez
Children 2025, 12(5), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050563 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 175
Abstract
Background: Motor competence is a key determinant of children’s physical, cognitive, and social development, and it is influenced by various biological and environmental factors. Among these, relative age and the presence of siblings have been proposed as potential contributors, yet their impact remains [...] Read more.
Background: Motor competence is a key determinant of children’s physical, cognitive, and social development, and it is influenced by various biological and environmental factors. Among these, relative age and the presence of siblings have been proposed as potential contributors, yet their impact remains underexplored, especially in school-aged populations. Objective: This study investigates the influence of relative age and the effects of the presence of siblings on the motor competence of children and adolescents. Methods: The motor competence level of 747 students, 381 from primary school (mean age = 8.81 ± 1.8 years) and 366 from secondary school (mean age = 13.52 ± 1.22 years), was measured by the means of the Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment. Participants were queried about their birth date and whether they had any older siblings. Results: Overall, motor competence exhibited an upward trend with chronological age, reaching its peak among children aged 14 years old. Analysis revealed a significant impact of relative age effects on motor competence among primary children, with considerably higher scores in the first semester (p = 0.017). Conversely, no clear trend was observed for secondary children. Having siblings did not significantly affect motor competence proficiency. Multiple regression analysis further confirmed that relative age did not contribute to this lack of association (quarter of birth: p = 0.003; β = −0.144; siblings: p = 0.697; β = −0.019). Conclusions: These findings suggest that physical education teachers should be aware of the influence of relative age not only when assessing motor competence but also when designing and implementing their teaching practice in primary school settings. In contrast, the effect of relative age appears to be less significant in secondary education, where it may be less relevant for both evaluation and teaching practice. Further research should explore longitudinal designs and consider additional psychosocial and environmental variables to better understand how these factors influence motor competence development over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Physical Fitness Among Children and Adolescents)
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