Investigation of the relation between the level of motor performance and the quality of life in children of the 8-10 age group

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between the motor performance level of children of the 8-10 age group and their quality of life. The sample of the study comprised the 434 students of the 8-10 age group (X̅ = 9.17 ± 0.80 years; BMI= 17.46 ± 3.05 kg/m2; Weight= 32.45 ± 8.30 kg; Height= 135.19 ± 10.18 cm) who attended the primary schools in the city center of the province of Usak. Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire - Family Form (KINDL) and BOT-2 (Short Form) were employed in order to evaluate the students' quality of life and their motor skills. When the test results were evaluated, a statistically significant difference was found in the "Upper Limb Coordination", "Fine Motor Precision", "Bilateral Coordination", "Running Speed and Agility", "Strength", "Overall Motor Performance" and "Family" sub-scale values of the female and male students (p< 0.05). According to age groups, statistically significant differences were found between "The Overall Motor Performance" values and "School" sub-scale (p< 0.05). While a positive correlation was found between "The Overall Quality Of Life" values of individuals and the values of "Fine Motor Precision", "Fine Motor Integration", , "Running Speed And Agility", "The Overall Motor Performance" (p< 0.05) and "Balance" (p< 0.01), no correlation was found between other parameters (p> 0.05). Consequently, the present study which has been conducted to find out the relation between the motor performance and the quality of life suggests that female children of the 8-10 age group have better fine motor skills, while the male children of the same age group have better gross motor skills and better overall motor skill performances, that motor skill performances and the quality of life increase depending on the increase in age, and that the individuals with better levels of motor performance has higher quality of life. This Master Degree Thesis, has been supported by Scientific Researches Department Uşak University. Keywords: Motor Competence, Quality of Life, School, Children, Family