High risk for obesity in children with a subtype of developmental coordination disorder.
Balance problems in DCD double obesity risk, but balance games can fix it.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at 8- to young learners with developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
They split the kids into two groups: DCD with balance problems and DCD without.
Then they checked body mass index (BMI) to see who was obese.
What they found
Kids who had both DCD and balance problems were over twice as likely to be obese.
Children with DCD but no balance issues had the same obesity risk as typical kids.
How this fits with other research
Cary et al. (2024) extends this idea. They showed that DCD kids trip more on high obstacles when they also count backward. Balance trouble gets worse under mental load.
Psotta et al. (2020) used the same age group and found a quick fix: telling kids to look at the ceiling, not their knees, makes jumps stronger. External cues help clumsy kids move better.
Together, these papers say balance is the weak link in DCD, but simple coaching can help.
Why it matters
If a client has DCD, screen balance first. One quick test: have them stand on one foot for ten seconds. If they wobble, add balance games to the behavior plan. Try obstacle paths, hopscotch, or Wii Fit. Better balance cuts obesity risk and boosts motor confidence.
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Add a 5-minute single-leg stand contest to your warm-up and track wobble time.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of overweight and obesity in typically developing (TD) children, children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and balance problems (DCD-BP), and children with DCD without balance problems (DCD-NBP). Two thousand and fifty-seven children (1095 boys, 962 girls) ages 9-12 years were recruited from 18 elementary schools in Taiwan. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children was used to assess motor coordination ability. International cut-off points for body mass index were used to classify participants into the following groups: normal-weight, overweight or obese. Compared with TD children, children in the DCD-BP group were more than twice as likely to be obese (OR=2.28; 95% CI=1.41-3.68). DCD-BP children were also more likely to be obese compared to DCD-NBP children (OR=1.79; 95% CI=1.02-3.16). Boys in the DCD-BP group were more likely to be obese when compared to DCD-BP girls (OR=3.12; 95% CI=1.28-7.57). Similarly, DCD-NBP boys were more likely to be obese when compared to DCD-NBP girls (OR=2.67; 95% CI=1.21-5.89). Children with both DCD and BP were significantly more likely to be obese when compared to TD and DCD-NBP children. From an intervention perspective, the inclusion of regular physical activity, including activities that encourage development of both balance and energy expenditure, may be required to prevent obesity in this population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.02.020