Zarizi Ab Rahman, Rezha Arzhan Hidayat, Muhammad Sigit Antoni, Ari Iswanto, Imran Akhmad, Muhammad Chairad, Made Bang Redy Utama
Background: Health-Related Physical Fitness (HRPF) is crucial for enhancing overall health; yet, global statistics indicate a decline among adolescents. As shown in past studies, HRPF has a reciprocal association with Motor Competence (MC), whereby greater MC promotes continuous physical activity (PA), hence improving HRPF. Although Western research has thoroughly examined this link, the findings may not be relevant to Malaysia because of distinct cultural contexts. Methods: This cross-sectional study examines the relationships between HRPF components and MC domains among 135 adolescents aged 14 to 16 from four secondary schools in Shah Alam. HRPF was assessed using the National Physical Fitness Standards that include BMI, YMCA Bench Step Test, Sit-ups, Sit and Reach, Push -ups and Motor Competence Assessment was employed to determine MC components, specifically stability, manipulative and locomotor skills. A pilot study was performed to examine the inter-rater reliability of the instruments, and the results showed all the instruments demonstrated high agreement between raters. Results: Person Correlation indicated BMI demonstrated a negative correlation with stability (r = –.34, p <.05) and locomotor skills (r = –.31, p <.05) while no significant correlation was found with manipulative skills (r =.25, p >.05). Cardiovascular endurance had a significant positive link with manipulative skills (r =.76, p <.05) and moderate correlations with stability (r =.56, p <.05) and locomotor skills (r =.41, p <.05). Muscular endurance (r =.77, p <.05) and strength (r =.66, p <.01) indicated a significant correlation with locomotor ability, while strength also shown a strong correlation with manipulative skills (r =.71, p <.01). Flexibility exhibited weak-to-moderate positive relationships with stability (r =.27, p <.05), locomotor skills (r =.41, p <.05), and manipulative skills (r =.17, p <.05). Conclusions: The findings indicate that enhancing HRPF components, particularly endurance and flexibility, is crucial for improving MC in Malaysian adolescents. Extensive fitness programs are advised to facilitate adolescents’ growth and mitigate potential health hazards. Copyright © the author(s). This is an open access article under CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Puncak Alam, 42300, Malaysia; Faculty of Sport Sciences, State University of Yogyakarta, Karang Malang, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Faculty of Sport Sciences, State University of Medan, Kenangan Baru, North Sumatra, 20371, Indonesia; Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, State University of Jakarta, Rawamangun, Jakarta, 13220, Indonesia
