Relationship between perceived physical literacy and obesity-related outcomes in adolescents: the EHDLA study

May 2, 2024Frontiers in public health

How Teens’ Confidence in Physical Skills Relates to Obesity Measures

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Abstract

Among 845 Spanish adolescents, those with higher showed lower obesity-related indicators.

  • Higher perceived physical literacy is associated with lower and waist circumference.
  • Adolescents with low perceived physical literacy exhibit the highest measurements of obesity-related indicators.
  • Significant differences in obesity-related outcomes were noted between adolescents with low, medium, and high perceived physical literacy.
  • Adolescents with high perceived physical literacy had a lower likelihood of being classified as overweight or obese.

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Key numbers

37.2%
Excess Weight Prevalence
Prevalence of excess weight among adolescents with low .
19.2%
Obesity Prevalence
Prevalence of obesity among adolescents with high .
< 0.001
Statistical Significance
Statistical significance of the relationship between and obesity outcomes.

Full Text

What this is

  • This study examines the relationship between () and obesity-related outcomes in Spanish adolescents.
  • It includes a sample of 845 adolescents aged 12-17 years, assessing various obesity indicators.
  • Findings indicate that higher is associated with lower obesity-related metrics.

Essence

  • Higher in adolescents correlates with lower , waist circumference, and obesity rates. This suggests that enhancing physical literacy may improve health outcomes in this population.

Key takeaways

  • Adolescents with low exhibit the highest rates of obesity-related indicators, including a 37.2% prevalence of excess weight. In contrast, those with high show a significantly lower prevalence of 19.2%.
  • Statistical models reveal that as scores increase, obesity-related indicators such as and waist circumference decrease. This trend is statistically significant across all models examined.
  • The findings support the promotion of physical literacy as a strategy to combat obesity in adolescents, indicating that interventions focusing on physical literacy could lead to healthier outcomes.

Caveats

  • The cross-sectional design limits the ability to establish causality between and obesity outcomes. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify these relationships.
  • Self-reported data on physical literacy and lifestyle factors may be subject to bias, affecting the accuracy of the findings.

Definitions

  • Perceived Physical Literacy (PPL): A self-assessed measure of an individual's confidence, knowledge, and skills related to physical activity.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI): A measure calculated from height and weight, used to categorize individuals as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.

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