This dissertation examined the relative influence of body mass index (BMI), motor performance (MP), perceived athletic competence (PAC), and their interactions on physical activity participation in children. Subjects for this cross-sectional investigation were 1881 children (9.9 years; 955 boys, 926 girls) from the Niagara region of Southern Ontario who participated in the Physical Health Activity Study Team (PHAST). Physical activity (PA) was assessed using the Physical Activity Participation Questionnaire. MP was measured using the short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The athletic subscale of the Self-Perception Profile for Children was used as a measure of PAC. Girls had significantly lower MP abilities than boys (62.6 ± 30.4 percentile vs. 71.2 ± 29.0 percentile, p <.001), and significantly lower PAC scores compared to boys (17.8 ± 4.3 vs. 19.1 ± 3.9, p = <.001). In boys and girls, PA participation was significantly, but weakly correlated with PAC, MP, and SES but not with BMI. There was a moderate correlation between PAC and PA in both boys (.413) and girls (.420) explaining roughly 17% of the variance. Other significant (p<.001) but weak correlations existed between PAC and MP (.267; .224), and BMI and MP (-.316; -.237) for boys and girls, respectively. There were no significant interaction terms in the regression models. In conclusion, this study shows that PAC explains 17% of the variance in physical activity participation. Based on these findings improvements in PAC could be an important objective of physical activity interventions for children.
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