Motor performance and physical self-efficacy in primary school children. Intersectoral interventions to promote healthy lifestyles .

Physical education in primary school is an essential component for the balanced development of the motor, psychological and social factors of the child and the promotion of physically active lifestyles. Numerous evidences confirm the positive effects of motor activities for the prevention of diseases, the motor development, psycho-affective and social, the academic performance of the child (Janseen & LeBlanc, 2010; Hills et al., 2011; Sing et al., 2012 ) and the significant contribution of physical education to increase levels of physical activity and promote motor development (Vitali et al., 2019). In Italy - Apulia Region - the SBAM! (Sport, Wellness, Food, Mobility) it was proposed to educate primary school children about active lifestyles through the proposal of three integrated sub-programs: physical education; correct eating habits and active transport safe home-school-home routes on foot. The project took place from 2014 to 2017 and was promoted and funded by the Regional Administration; the University of Foggia, the regional school office, the CONI - regional committee - and the local health agencies collaborated.The program involved 13.362 children (age 8) and in each year the motor skills and related psychological factors were monitored. The following study presents the results of the third year.The motor development of the child is influenced by the processes of organic growth and maturation and by the opportunities received to perform daily motor activities (Malina,2004). The physical self-efficacy is a psychological factor dependent on the quality of the motor experienced by the child and the opportunities for success; the development of motor presentations influences this factor and the body mass index (BMI) is in inverse relation (Vitali, et al.2019). The results of the monitoring show motor performance and self-efficacy scores of higher-grade children compared to overweight and obese children. Monitoring showed gender differences in motor tests and in the self-report: females show lower scores and scores than males, also in relation to BMI. The results of motor monitoring call for systematic and multi-component, curricular and extracurricular didactic interventions, in agreement with the family and other educational agencies in the area.