mHealth Intervention for Motor Skills: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Children's motor skills are a critical foundation for physical activity. The objective was to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of a mobile app-based intervention delivered to parents to improve preschoolers’ motor skills. METHODS This randomized controlled trial randomly assigned children to : (1) Motor Skills, including instructional lessons, peer modeling videos, behavioral scaffolding, and structured activities or 2) Free Play. Both groups received a 12-week app-based intervention informed by social cognitive theory to deliver 12 hours (12-minutes per day, 5× per week) of instruction. The children were aged 3 to 5 y; parents and children had no mobility impairments. The primary outcome variables were children’s motor skills percentile score assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development, third edition (TGMD-3) at baseline, end-of-intervention (week 12), and follow-up (week 24); and feasibility and acceptability. RESULTS Seventy-two children (4.0 ± 0.8 y) participated. Between baseline and week 12, children in the Motor Skills condition significantly improved total TGMD-3 percentile (+13.7 Motor Skills vs −5.3 Free Play, P < .01), locomotor skills percentile (+15.5 Motor Skills vs −4.8 Free Play, P < .01), and ball skills percentile (+8.3 Motor Skills vs −7.3 Free Play, P < .01) compared with children in the comparator group. Significant differences were sustained at follow-up (week 24). Adherence did not significantly differ between conditions (71% for Motor Skills; 87% for Free Play). Parents in both arms reported high scores on satisfaction, helpfulness, and ease of use. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians and educators may encourage parents to enhance their child’s motor skills through structured at-home programs.