Development of Motor Performance Index: A Preliminary Study Among 7 Years Old Malaysian Kids

Abstract

The development of technology has increasingly reduced the practice of physical and motor activity use and it can lead to some health-related quality life problems such as social dysfunction and disease problems. The purpose of this research is to identify the development of motor performance index among 7 years old Malaysian kids. Datasets were collected from 1998 participants in research aged 7 years old in primary schools all around Malaysia. The participants completed multiple physical fitness tests (anthropometrics, standing broad jump, twenty-meter speed, sit and reach and hand wall toss). Data interpretation was carried out using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Discriminant Analysis and Machine Learning. It was found that there is a small number of male kids that only have high physical fitness performance but female kids have a huge number that have a high physical fitness performance, also male kids have a dominant in some physical motor component and anthropometric and also female dominate some of the physical motor component. As a result, these models have the potential to reduce the number of kids with poor motor development. Furthermore, time and efforts can be saved because it is much easier to have concentrated parameters or those that have been extensively proven.