AUTHOR=Flôres Fábio , Soares Denise , Silva Ana Filipa , Casanova Nuno , Almeida Gabriela , Marmeleira José , Shabanliyski Dimitar 

TITLE=Sports participation and sex outweigh the relative age effect in motor competence of school-aged children

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1608680

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2025.1608680

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=BackgroundThe Relative Age Effect (RAE) refers to the advantage in physical and psychological development that children born earlier in the year often experience, which can influence their participation in sports.AimAnalyze the influence of RAE on motor competence (MC) in school-aged children, focusing on differences across birth quartiles and types of sports participation.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,031 children aged 12.02 ± 2.95 years, stratified by birth quartile (Q1–Q4) and sports participation. MC was assessed using the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) test battery. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA and a three-way MANCOVA.ResultsParticipants born in Q1 exhibited significantly higher MC scores compared to those born in Q3 and Q4, particularly in the Manipulative domain (p < 0.05, η2 = 0.01). Sports participation had the strongest effect (p < 0.01, η2 = 0.10), with participants in team sports demonstrating higher MC across all domains. Boys outperformed girls in Manipulative skills (p < 0.01, η2 = 0.12). Furthermore, the interaction between birth quartile, sports participation, and sex was also significant (p = 0.02, η2 = 0.01), indicating that the influence of RAE on MC depends on additional contextual factors.ConclusionsWhile RAE had a statistically significant but small effect on MC, sports participation, particularly team sports, and sex may play more dominant roles. These findings underscore the importance of promoting equitable access to organized physical activity while considering the nuanced and context-dependent nature of the RAE.