The relationship between fundamental movement skills and physical activity in preschoolers: a systematic review

ObjectiveThe systematic review was used to evaluate the relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity (PA) in preschoolers.Data sourcesPubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were searched for terms related to preschoolers' FMS and PA from the establishment to July, 2022.Results21 cross-sectional studies and 5 longitudinal studies with 6561 preschoolers were included. There was a significant positive association between FMS and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (r = 0.25, 95%CI 0.22 similar to 0.27) and total physical activity(TPA) (r = 0.23, 95%CI 0.19 similar to 0.27). The locomotor and object control skills were significant positive association with both MVPA and TPA.ConclusionThere is a significant positive association between FMS and MVPA as well as between FMS and TPA, indicating the movement proficiency is associated with increased PA and vice versa.