Association of physical fitness, fundamental motor competency, and Joint mobility among school-going children in Moodbidri town, South India

BACKGROUND: In typically developing children, physical fitness and fundamental motor skills are closely related and develop in tandem. Whether the strength of this relationship differs in children with generalized joint hypermobility remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To compare the associations between physical fitness components and fundamental motor skill competency in children with and without generalized joint hypermobility. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 313 school-going children recruited from eight school clusters in Moodbidri, South India. Ethical approval was obtained, and informed consent was secured from school authorities and parents. Physical fitness and fundamental motor skills were assessed over two consecutive days. Physical fitness measures included speed, endurance, flexibility, balance, muscular strength, power and coordination. Fundamental motor skills were evaluated using the locomotor and object control subscales of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). RESULTS: Children with and without generalized joint hypermobility were comparable in age and anthropometric characteristics. Significant differences were observed between groups in several physical fitness components and fundamental motor skill proficiency (p < 0.05). Spearman correlation analyses demonstrated significant associations between selected physical fitness measures and fundamental motor skills in both groups, with Fisher’s r-to-z transformation indicating differences in the strength of these associations between hypermobile and non-hypermobile children. CONCLUSION: The strength of associations between physical fitness components and fundamental motor skill proficiency differs between children with generalized joint hypermobility and those with normal joint mobility, highlighting joint mobility status as an important consideration when interpreting fitness–motor skill relationships in school-aged children.