Abstract
Background/objective: The directional relationship between physical literacy (PL) and physical activity (PA) in children remains unclear. This study explored the directionality of the relationship between children's actual PL and PA, and whether their PL perceptions mediate this relationship.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. In total, 371 children (153 boys; M age = 10.0 ± 1.0) from Chinese primary schools were recruited to complete all the assessments. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to determine a reciprocal relationship between Motivation and Confidence, Daily Behavior and moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA).
Results: When perceived PL was examined as a mediator, the model with direction from MVPA to actual PL was observed with significance in Motivation and Confidence (β = 0.48) and Daily Behavior (β = 0.20). Perceived PL displayed no mediation effect for the direction from actual PL to MVPA.
Conclusions: This study provides evidence that engagement in PA might be useful to support the continuous development of PL. As perceived PL is an integral part of this relationship, future research is needed to understand its role for providing potential intervention targets to improve these outcomes among Chinese children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 171-177 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 15 Mar 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Published by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)Funder
This research was funded by the Direct Grant for Research (Grant No. EDU 2018–052) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.Keywords
- Physical literacy
- Physical activity promotion
- Children
- Structural equation model
- Perception