Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
PhD student in Motor Development, University of Tehran
2
Associate Professor of Motor Development, University of Tehran
3
Motor behavior department, university of tehran
4
Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
5
Associate Professor of Sports Management, University of Tehran
Abstract
Background and Purpose
Active and regular participation in physical activity and sports during childhood and adolescence is a fundamental determinant of lifelong health and the development of habits that support an active lifestyle into adulthood. Physical literacy has been proposed as one of the leading frameworks for understanding and fostering this trajectory. Defined as the motivation, self-confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding required to maintain physical activity throughout life, physical literacy encompasses much more than physical skills alone—it spans emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and motor domains.
Despite its adoption in leading physical activity guidelines and school curricula, empirical research examining the full scope of physical literacy remains limited, especially studies investigating the relationships among its domains and their links to real-world physical activity. Few investigations assess these relationships across ecological contexts, such as children’s place of residence, a variable posited by developmental-context theory to powerfully influence physical behavior and literacy outcomes. This theory argues that the dynamic interrelationship between a developing person and the changing environment is foundational for explaining individual patterns of behavior and growth across the lifespan. Place of residence—for example, city, suburb, or village—may create distinct contexts for physical play, social support, and movement opportunities.
Within this framework, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between physical activity level and physical literacy among children ages 8–12 years in Khorramabad, Iran, with a special focus on differences by place of residence. By adopting a multidimensional and ecological approach, this work provides new empirical evidence on how environment and personal competencies interact in shaping the active lives of children.
Methods
This was a field-based, descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population comprised all primary school students aged 8–12 in Khorramabad. Given the city’s large and diverse population and the logistical challenges of comprehensive sampling, a cluster sampling method was employed. The sample was stratified into three blocks—city center, suburban, and rural areas—with 30 students randomly selected from each, yielding a total sample of 90 participants.
Data collection proceeded in several phases:
Each participant completed a personal profile questionnaire (demographics including age, weight, and exact place of residence) with written informed parental consent.
Physical literacy was measured using the infrastructures of the Canadian Physical Literacy Model, whose multidimensional scoring system allocates:
Physical competence (30 pts): assessment of fundamental movement skills, balance, and coordination,
Daily activity (30 pts): frequency and intensity of habitual movement,
Motivation and self-confidence (30 pts): attitude, persistence in activity, belief in one’s physical abilities,
Knowledge and understanding (10 pts): awareness of health, rules, safety, and the value of movement.
The maximum composite score is 100, enabling both overall and domain-specific analyses.
Physical activity was assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (IPAQ-C/A), a seven-day recall instrument widely validated for moderate-to-vigorous activity as well as sedentary behavior during the school year.
Data collection was coordinated with local schools and supervised by trained research assistants to ensure standardized administration and full understanding among participants.
Statistical analysis was completed in SPSS v22. Descriptive statistics summarized sample characteristics and mean scores. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the association between total and domain-specific physical literacy scores and overall physical activity. Differences in scores by residence grouping and gender were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and the Bonferroni post hoc test was applied to identify specific group differences. The statistical significance threshold was set at 0.05 for all analyses.
Table 1- Results of Pearson correlation coefficient test to determine the relationship between physical activity and physical literacy components
physical activity
significance
r
Variable
0/001
**0/822
Daily behavior
0/001
**0/624
Physical competence
0/001
**0/578
Motivation
0/882
0/019
Knowledge and understanding
0/001
**0/794
Total physical literacy
Results
Initial descriptive analyses established balanced demographic characteristics by sampling area. Table 1 provides the full Pearson correlation matrix between physical activity and the components of physical literacy. There was a significant, positive correlation between reported physical activity and daily behavior, physical competence, motivation, and total physical literacy score (all p < 0.05). That is, children with higher levels of recent physical activity also showed higher scores in these domains, supporting both the theoretical and practical link between movement engagement and the multifaceted nature of physical literacy.
However, the association between physical activity and the knowledge/understanding component was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), suggesting that cognition and information—though important—may not directly determine recent movement patterns among this age group.
MANOVA results further demonstrated that, in both overall physical activity and total physical literacy, children residing in rural areas scored higher than those in the city center or suburbs. The difference between city center and suburban children was not significant. Parsing by component, children in rural settings outperformed urban and suburban peers in domains related to daily activity and physical competence, while urban and suburban children showed higher scores only in knowledge and understanding. This pattern highlights potential strengths of rural physical environments (natural spaces, spontaneous play) and urban/suburban access to formal instruction and knowledge. Motivation and self-confidence were comparatively even, though also slightly higher in rural samples.
The Bonferroni post hoc test for gender differences revealed that boys outperformed girls in total physical literacy, physical activity, physical competence, and daily behavior (all p < 0.01). No significant gender difference emerged in motivation/self-confidence or knowledge/understanding
(p > 0.05).
Conclusion
If physical literacy is raised to a high level, it can serve as a “guarantor” of lifelong participation in sport and active living. This study examined the relationships among physical activity, physical literacy, and residence context in children aged 8–12. It found that, overall, children did not reach desirable activity or literacy levels, falling between beginner and modest proficiency; physical activity was generally moderate to low. These findings underscore a potential public health risk for this segment of society, as insufficient physical literacy and low movement levels are strongly associated with negative outcomes in physical, cognitive, and emotional domains.
Rural children demonstrated relatively higher physical activity and literacy, perhaps due to greater access to open outdoor environments, sociocultural norms favoring active play, or closer community networks. Urban and suburban children, in contrast, may benefit from formal instruction but face barriers to unstructured movement. Boys outperformed girls in several domains, reinforcing concerns about barriers to female participation; however, motivation and knowledge were similar by gender.
Overall, the interplay between personal, environmental, sociocultural, and gender-related factors shapes children’s physical literacy and activity. These results support previous findings and reinforce the need for programs that address environmental, cultural, and motivational obstacles—especially in girls and urban settings. Future studies should expand these findings to other contexts and track changes over time.
Article Message
Physical literacy is significantly and positively related to the physical activity of children, with higher values often found among rural children and boys. Effective interventions must take context and gender into account, designing targeted opportunities that especially support the motivation, activity, and competence of girls and urban youth to foster healthy, active generations.
Ethical Considerations
All content in this article is original and unpublished elsewhere. Ethical approval was granted by the Committee at Institute for Physical Education and Sport Sciences
(code: IR.SSRI.REC.1400.1227).
Authors’ Contributions
Majid Mohammadi: Data collection, article writing
Mahmoud Sheikh: Research idea, findings analysis
Davoud Houmanian: Review and editing of the article
Hassan Gharayagh Zandi: Data analysis
Mehrzad Hamidi: Approval of the final article file
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
Sincere thanks to school staff and students in Khorramabad for their cooperation and support in this research.
riance were used using SPSS software version 22. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between physical activity and physical literacy of the participants (P = 0.001). In terms of physical activity and level of physical literacy, children living in rural areas performed better than children living in the center and suburbs (P = 0.001), Under the knowledge and understanding infrastructure, children living in the center and suburbs scored higher than rural children, but in other components, the performance of rural children was better. In terms of gender, the difference between boys and girls in general physical literacy (P = 0.001), physical activity (P = 0.001), Physical competence (P = 0.004), daily behavior (P = 0.001), significant Boys performed better in these components, but there was no gender difference in motivation (P = 0.481) and knowledge and Understanding (P = 0.548).
Keywords
