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.

Context: Youth sport specialization may be associated with physical literacy and physical activity in young adulthood. The purposes of this study were to compare young adult (18–25 y) physical literacy and physical activity by high school sport specialization status and to examine the relationship between current physical activity and physical literacy. Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study design. Methods: Participants were recruited from ResearchMatch, university classes, and social media posts. Participants (N = 172; aged 22.1 [2.1] y; 80.1% female) completed the following anonymous surveys on REDCap to assess: demographics and injury history, sport specialization, physical literacy (PLAYself), and physical activity (Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire). Results: When controlling for age, there were no statistically significant differences in physical literacy (F_2,166 = 2.02, P = .14) or moderate to vigorous physical activity (F_2,161 = 0.24, P = .79) between sport specialization groups. There was a moderate, positive relationship between physical literacy and physical activity (r = .33, P < .001). Conclusions: Young adult physical literacy and physical activity were similar regardless of youth sport specialization level. Young adult physical literacy was positively associated with physical activity. Future studies should consider physical literacy as a possible correlate of physical activity among young adults.

Obesity is an increasing public health concern in the U.S. and a contributor to chronic illness, with trends revealing a rise in adult obesity and chronic disease rates among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, including those in rural communities. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine perspectives on perceived physical activity barriers, resources, and level of community support. Researchers utilized the socioecological model to examine the multiple domains that support physical activity in rural Appalachia. The present study focuses on baseline data, including a cohort survey to assess physical activity, health status, and barriers to physical activity, and five focus groups with elected community leaders, community residents, members, and key stakeholders to assess perspectives on physical activity barriers and resources within the county. The cohort survey sample (N = 152) reported a median of 6 barriers (range 0–13) to participating in at least 30 min of physical activity daily. The qualitative analysis yielded three overarching themes related to physical activity participation: lack of motivation, physical environment, and cultural barriers. This mixed-methods study revealed the challenges and perceptions among rural residents across the socioecological model when assessing physical inactivity. Findings can be used to tailor future interventions focused on expanding social support, designing infrastructure, and creating policies that promote physical activity.

Introduction: This study examined the concurrent validity and inter-pair reliability of the proximity detection function on Bluetooth-enabled accelerometers across manufacturer-specified ranges. If valid, this method could be used for objectively measuring shared physical activity participation. Method: Thirty-six dyads aged 21.6 (2.1) years wore two sets of Bluetooth-enabled accelerometers initialized as beacons and receivers to compare accelerometer-measured proximity detection to direct observation under 11 different controlled and free-living conditions. Results: The proportion of minutes in which proximity was detected differed across conditions (p < .001), with the highest proportions in the controlled conditions (.77–1.0). Among the free-living conditions, the different room (.73 ± .20) condition had the highest proximity detection proportions. There were no differences in the proximity detection across accelerometer pairs (p = .265). Conclusion: Proximity detection with Bluetooth-enabled accelerometers was reliable and had the highest detection rates under the controlled treadmill walking conditions. Despite limitations, using Bluetooth-enabled accelerometers is a promising approach for measuring shared physical activity.

Purpose: This study examined patterns of physical activity coparticipation among parent–child (2–5 y) dyads. Method: The dyads (N = 47; 51% mother–child) each wore a Bluetooth-enabled accelerometer for 8 days to measure physical activity and physical activity coparticipation. The parents completed demographic and self-reported family physical activity questionnaires. Results: The parent–child dyads spent 145 (79) minutes per day in-proximity according to the Bluetooth-enabled accelerometers. The majority (90%) of parent–child in-proximity time was spent with the parent and child engaged in some combination of sedentary or light activities. Child light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity was not associated with parent light (P = .12) or moderate to vigorous physical activity (P = .45), but was positively associated with parent–child in-proximity active minutes (light, moderate, and vigorous) (P < .01). Children in the highest tertile of parent–child physical activity coparticipation engaged in more daily moderate to vigorous physical activity compared with children in the lowest tertile (72.7 vs 50.3 min). There was a positive, statistically significant association between self-reported and objective measures of physical activity coparticipation (r = .47, P = .001). Conclusion: Children who engaged in the most physical activity with their parent had the highest moderate to vigorous physical activity. Future studies should continue to provide contextual information about how parents and children spend their time together to improve family-based physical activity interventions.