ABSTRACT
Objectives:
Emerging evidence indicates that the composition of
movement behaviours within a 24-h period is associated with multiple
health benefits across the
lifespan. A concept that emphasises an individual's active
lifestyle is physical
literacy (PL), yet
empirical research exploring the potential
associations between PL and 24-h
movement guidelines remains scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the
associations between levels of PL and adherence to the guidelines among
Chinese university students. Study
design:
A
cross-sectional study.
Methods:
Seven hundred and ninety-eight
university students (390
male, 19.2 ± 1.2 years) completed all the measurements. Levels of PL and participants' adherence to guidelines including
physical activity, sedentary behaviour and
sleep were
self-reported through Perceived Physical
Literacy Instrument, International
Physical Activity Questionnaire and Pittsburgh
Sleep Quality Index, respectively. Two-way
ANOVA was conducted to determine the
associations between the number of guidelines met (0, 1, 2, or 3) and levels of PL.
Results:
The results demonstrate that 36.5% (n = 291) of the participants met all the three guidelines, while 4.1% (n = 33) met none. Further
analysis indicated that meeting
physical activity or sedentary behaviour guidelines was associated with significantly higher total PL scores, and scores in the sub-domains of Confidence and Physical
Competence and
Motivation.
Conclusions:
The findings provide evidence that
young adults who obtained higher PL scores may meet more guidelines during a 24-h period.
Future studies should incorporate accelerometer-based
physical activity measurements and investigate the causal relationship between PL and adherence to the
movement guidelines.
