Do Girls Have an Advantage Compared to Boys When Their Motor Skills Are Tested Using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd Edition?

This study aims to investigate sex-related differences in raw item scores on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd Edition (MABC-2) in a large data set collected in different regions across the world, seeking to unravel whether there is an interaction effect between sex and the origin of the sample (European versus African). In this retrospective study, a secondary analysis was performed on anonymized data of 7654 children with a mean age of 8.6 (range 3 to 16; SD: 3.4), 50.0% of whom were boys. Since country-specific norms were not available for all samples, the raw scores per age band (AB) were used for analysis. Our results clearly show that in all age bands sex-related differences are present. In AB1 and AB2, girls score better on most manual dexterity and balance items, but not aiming and catching items, whereas in AB3 the differences seem to diminish. Especially in the European sample, girls outperform boys in manual dexterity and balance items, whereas in the African sample these differences are less marked. In conclusion, separate norms for boys and girls are needed in addition to separate norms for geographical regions.

Automated summary

This study examines sex-related differences in raw item scores on the MABC-2, using a large dataset collected from different regions worldwide, and explores whether there is an interaction effect between sex and the sample's origin (European versus African). The study performs a secondary analysis on anonymized data of 7654 children, finding that sex-related differences are present in all age bands. Girls outperform boys in manual dexterity and balance items, especially in the European sample, while these differences are less pronounced in the African sample. Separate norms for boys and girls, as well as geographical regions, are necessary.