Framing Physical Literacy for Adults Through a Rehabilitation Lens: An Expert Consensus Study.

Research indicates a positive relationship between physical literacy and healthy aging; however, there is no consensus on the components required to become a physically literate adult. The objective of this study was to understand how physical literacy for adults with chronic conditions is characterized from the perspective of healthcare professionals. Physiotherapy leaders and physical literacy researchers within North America were invited to an online consensus panel and presented with questions related to physical literacy and rehabilitation. A nominal group technique was used for idea generation, clarification, and ranking. Confidence and safety with movements, motivation and commitment to physical activity, the ability to self-monitor changes in function, and understanding the benefits of physical activity were key components when defining physical literacy. There is a need to reconceptualize physical literacy to include the rehabilitation needs of adults living with chronic conditions, and to design programs that promote physical literacy to enhance function and mobility.

"You can because you do and you do, because you can": Using interpretative description to examine what it means to be a physically literate adult living with multiple chronic conditions.

AIMS: Physical literacy is an emerging strategy to increase participation in movement activities for children and youth, however little is known about how to frame physical literacy for aging adults. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how adults with multiple chronic conditions describe physically literacy for adults and to understand the needs, preferences, barriers, and facilitators to acquiring and maintaining physical literacy despite fluctuations in health status. METHODS: Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with working and retired teachers in Ontario, Canada, with varying self-identified physical activity levels and are living with 2 or more chronic conditions. A semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct the interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Participants identified 5 themes when describing physical literacy for adults: understanding one's body, conscious commitment to movement, access to and knowledge of rehabilitation health resources, valuable physical activities, and confident problem solver. Results indicate that when acquiring physical literacy for adults, there are important new constructs, such as self-management and the awareness of rehabilitation strategies to maintain mobility, that differ from the traditional physical literacy model. CONCLUSIONS: To improve function and mobility outcomes for adults living with chronic conditions, programs should be guided by a physical literacy framework that addresses the needs unique to aging adults, such as understanding the changes that occur with aging, self-monitoring mobility changes and participating in rehabilitation strategies.

Framing physical literacy for aging adults: an integrative review.

PURPOSE: Physical literacy is an important component for improving functional health for adults. However, little is known how physical literacy can be framed to support the rehabilitation needs of aging adults. METHODS: An integrative review was conducted to understand what components are used to frame physical literacy for adults. Electronic databases were searched from 2000-2021 for eligibility criteria including: 1) adults ≥45 years of age, 2) addressed physical literacy OR physical literacy components AND referred to outcomes assessing either mobility, physical function, rehabilitation, health promotion, health prevention, public health, or physical activity. RESULTS: A total of 22 articles met the inclusion criteria. The varied methodological quality, including grey literature (50%) to systematic reviews (14%), indicates that physical literacy for adults is a novel topic. When defining physical literacy for adults, 13 new constructs emerged with purposeful activities, knowledge of age-related changes and social interaction as the top three. Physical literacy interventions demonstrated improvements in self-efficacy, physical function, and exercise behaviour. CONCLUSION: Findings from the current literature indicate that engagement in purposeful, social, and diverse activities, obtaining knowledge of age-related changes and being able to self-adapt to mobility fluctuations is the foundation to becoming a physically literate adult.Implications for RehabilitationPhysical literacy is emerging as a promising health strategy for adults and older adults.Reconceptualization of the physical literacy construct to include rehabilitation approaches is needed to address the mobility challenges associated with aging.The foundation to becoming a physically literate adult involves monitoring one's ability for movement and having the knowledge to identify and remediate changes in function while engaging in purposeful movements.Physical literacy programs for adults and older adults have potential to positively impact important health outcomes equitably for all individuals.

Interventions to address sedentary behaviour for older adults: a scoping review.

PURPOSE: Sedentary behaviour is associated with increased risk for lower health status and all-cause mortality. Older adults spend up to 75%, on average, of their day sedentary, however little is known about interventions designed to decrease sitting time for this population. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted to broadly determine what is known about sedentary behaviour interventions for older adults. Electronic databases were searched for articles with eligibility criteria including: (1) interventions containing strategies to decrease sedentary behaviour, (2) adults ≥60 years of age, and (3) reported outcome measures related to sedentary behaviour. RESULTS: A total of 32 articles met the inclusion criteria. While methodological quality and intervention characteristics varied among the studies, the majority of interventions used a multi-component approach. Interventions involved a variety of behavioural change strategies with goal setting, information and self-monitoring the most frequently used. Of the 20 studies reporting results, 80% (n = 16) found at least one significant change in sedentary behaviour. CONCLUSION: Findings from this scoping review suggest that sedentary behaviour can be reduced in community-dwelling older adults through multi-component targeted interventions. Future work is needed to examine sedentary behaviour interventions for adults >75 years and for persons living in long-term care institutions.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONOlder adults spend up to 75% of their day sedentary and are at an increased risk for chronic conditions, functional limitations, and mortality.Multi-component sedentary behaviour interventions, such as education, physical activity, and activity monitoring should be implemented for older adults.When designing interventions, incorporating goal-setting, self-monitoring and other behaviour change strategies can reduce sitting time for older adults.