# Measuring Motor Competence in Mid-Adulthood: A Reliable Holistic Test (HOLMOT) Sensitive to Sex and Age Differences

## TL;DR

This study introduces a reliable test to measure motor skills in adults aged 30-60, showing differences based on sex and age.

## Contribution

The HOLMOT test is a new holistic tool for assessing motor competence in mid-adulthood with proven reliability and sensitivity to sex and age.

## Key findings

- The HOLMOT test showed good to excellent reliability for motor-cognitive and locomotor domains.
- Men completed tasks faster than women, and adults over 50 had slower performance in key domains.
- The manipulative section of HOLMOT had lower reliability compared to other sections.

## Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to (i) examine the test–retest reliability of a holistic motor competence test (HOLMOT) in adults aged 30–60 years, and (ii) evaluate its ability to discriminate performance according to sex and age group. Methods: A total of 435 adults (206 women and 229 men; Mean age: 43.49 ± 7.55 years; Weight: 69.10 ± 9.88 kg; BMI: 23.81 ± 2.42 kg/m2) participated in this cross-sectional study. Motor Competence was assessed using the HOLMOT, a time-based protocol integrating motor-cognitive, locomotor, and manipulative domains. Test–retest reliability was examined in a subsample of 217 participants over a one-week interval using relative (ICC, Pearson’s r) and absolute (SEM, MDC) reliability indices. Sex and age-group differences were analyzed using independent t-tests and analysis of variance. Results: The HOLMOT demonstrated good to excellent reliability for the motor-cognitive (ICC = 0.89), locomotor (ICC = 0.94), and total time (ICC = 0.84) outcomes, with low SEM and MDC values. Reliability was lower for the manipulative section (ICC = 0.44). Men exhibited shorter completion times than women across all sections (p < 0.001), and adults over 50 years showed significantly longer times in the motor-cognitive and locomotor domains (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The HOLMOT is a feasible and reliable tool for assessing motor competence in mid-adulthood, demonstrating sensitivity to sex- and age-related differences and supporting holistic, lifespan-oriented models of motor competence.