Effects of Equine-Assistant Activity on Gross Motor Coordination in Children Aged 8 to 10 Years. (15th January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cheng, XiaoDong; Kong, XiaoYang; Fan, Yongzhao; Wang, XiangYu; Li, ZiHao; Wu, Hao
• Other Names: Khan Rahim Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Journal of healthcare engineering. Volume 2022(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-01-15
• Subjects: Hospital buildings -- Environmental engineering -- Periodicals; Medical technology -- Periodicals; Medical informatics -- Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1155/2022/3623686
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-2295

Abstract

Abstract : Generally, adequate motor coordination (MC) ability is one among the critical factors for the overall development of children. In this paper, we have thoroughly analyzed the effects of equine-assistant activity (EAA) training on MC in children. For this purpose, MC test, specifically for children, was used to the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK), and a total of 100 children, particularly those in 8 to 10 age, were equally separated into equine-assistant activity group (EAAG) and control group (CG), respectively. The EAAG group has attended a 14-week EAA training program, while the CG joined in physical education activity once per week. The experimental results have indicated that four indices of KTK test (i.e., backward walk [WB], height jump [HH], jumping sideways [JS] and moving sideways [MS], and motor quotient [MQ] score) showed significant differences ( ∗ P < 0.05 ) after a 14-week EAA training. Furthermore, the indices of physical fitness test, standing long jump (SLJ), and sit and reach (SAR) showed significant differences ( ∗ P < 0.05 ), but the handgrip (HG) increased slightly without significant difference (P > 0.05 ) after a 14-week EAA training. In conclusion, there were improvements in MC, lower limb strength, and flexibility by EAAG for those who participated in a 14-week EAA training, and this study has demonstrated the effectiveness of the KTK assessment of MC in children 8 to 10 years.