Physical Literacy and Physical Activity Across the Life Span: A Systematic Review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Context Physical activity levels are low across the life span. Physical literacy has been proposed as a holistic construct to explain, predict, and increase physical activity. The purpose of this systematic review was to qualitatively describe and critically evaluate the current evidence that examines the relationship between physical literacy and physical activity across the life span. Design A systematic search of six databases was conducted with the search terms “physical activity” and “physical literacy.” Eligibility Criteria Peer-reviewed, English-language articles that included measures of physical literacy and physical activity and examined the relationship between these variables were selected for review. Study Selection Cross-sectional, prospective, and experimental studies were included. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome variables were physical literacy and physical activity. Results A total of 17 studies were included in this review. Most studies were cross-sectional and focused on youth populations. Studies in this review used several different measurement tools to assess physical literacy and varied in the domains included within physical literacy. Conclusions There is a need for valid and reliable measurement tools to assess physical literacy as a holistic construct, as well as studies with prospective designs, to understand the strength of the relationship between physical literacy and physical activity across the life span.