Background: The holistic concept of physical literacy assumes that individuals require adequate cognitive (knowledge and understanding), affective (motivation and confidence), and physical (physical competence) qualities to engage in lifelong physical activity behavior. In recent years, the research field has undergone rapid development and has also yielded an increasing number of interventions that aim to translate the theoretical-philosophical ideas into practical endeavors. Objective: The goal of the present pre-registered systematic review was to (a) provide a general overview of evaluation studies on physical literacy interventions and (b) to quantitatively examine the effectiveness of physical literacy interventions. Methods: Drawing on the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched a total of 18 databases for physical literacy interventions. Inclusion criteria were English language, publication by November 2021, and interventions using physical literacy as a theoretical underpinning or evaluation outcome. Articles that met these criteria were analyzed with respect to their basic delivery characteristics, study quality, evaluation approach, and main findings. We additionally ran meta-analyses with all non-randomized and randomized controlled trials to examine and compare the effect of these interventions on five outcome categories: (i) physical competence, (ii) motivation and confidence, (iii) knowledge and understanding, (iv) physical activity behavior, and (v) total physical literacy. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the effects on the different categories. Results: The screening process with two independent raters yielded 48 eligible interventions reported in 51 eligible articles. Quantitative evaluations most frequently addressed physical competence (72.2%), followed by motivation and confidence (47.2%), physical activity behavior (41.7%), and knowledge and understanding (33.3%). The controlled intervention studies (n = 24) exerted significant effects on all five physical literacy categories. Despite meaningful heterogeneity across the subgroups, the strongest effects were found for physical competence (SMD 0.90; 95% CI 0.55–1.25), followed by physical literacy aggregate scores (SMD 0.61; 95% CI 0.20–1.01), knowledge and understanding (SMD 0.54; 95% CI 0.30–0.79), physical activity behavior (SMD 0.39; 95% CI 0.23–0.55), and motivation and confidence (SMD 0.30; 95% CI 0.17–0.44). Conclusions: The present study empirically demonstrated the effectiveness of physical literacy interventions on several outcomes relevant for promoting physical activity and health. To better inform current practices, future studies are advised to identify those program characteristics that significantly influence the effectiveness of physical literacy interventions. Clinical Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020188926.

The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) embraces different person-centered qualities (physical, cognitive, affective/psychological) necessary to lead physically active lifestyles. PL has recently gained increasing attention globally and Europe is no exception. However, scientific endeavors summarizing the current state of PL in Europe are lacking. Therefore, the goal of this study was to comprehensively assess and compare the implementation of PL in research, policy, and practice across the continent. We assembled a panel of experts representing 25 European countries. Employing a complementary mixed-methods design, the experts first prepared reviews about the current state of PL in their countries (categories: research, practice/policy). The reviews underwent comparative document analysis, ensuring a transnational four-eyes principle. For re-validation purposes, the representatives completed a quantitative survey with questions reflecting the inductive themes from the document analysis. The document analysis resulted in ten disjunct themes (related to "concept", "research", "practice/policy", "future/prospect") and yielded a heterogenous PL situation in Europe. The implementation state was strongly linked to conceptual discussions (e.g., existence of competing approaches), linguistic issues (e.g., translations), and country-specific traditions. Despite growing scholarly attention, PL hesitantly permeates practice and policy in most countries. Nevertheless, the experts largely anticipate increasing popularity of PL for the future. Despite the heterogeneous situation across Europe, the analysis has uncovered similarities among the countries, such as the presence of established yet not identical concepts. Research should intensify academic activities (conceptual-linguistic elaborations, empirical work) before PL may gain further access into practical and political spheres in the long term.

Background: The World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030 states that physical activity interventions should strengthen peoples’ competencies for health. Yet, frameworks that bundle pivotal competencies for a healthy and physically active lifestyle have not been extensively discussed in the past. Results: In the present article, the authors therefore present the model of Physical Activity-related Health Competence (PAHCO), an integrative structure model including the 3 areas of movement competence, control competence, and self-regulation competence. After providing a rationale for the use of the competence concept, the authors focus on implications from the PAHCO model to guide interventions for the promotion of a healthy and physically active lifestyle. The authors argue that the PAHCO model is located at the interface between health literacy and physical literacy, research areas that have gained increasing scholarly attention in recent years. In addition, PAHCO appears to be compatible with the concept of health capability because it can represent the important aspect of agency. Conclusions: The article concludes with a scientific positioning of model components and some empirical results that have been accumulated so far.

Researchers consider motivation a key determinant of physical activity. In physical education (PE) and youth sport, the more children and adolescents evaluate their teachers and coaches to be autonomy supportive, as opposed to controlling, the more self-determined they are in their motivation. Therefore, it appears valuable to help PE teachers and youth sport coaches optimize their interactions with the individuals they work with. This study was designed to systematically review the literature related to autonomy support interventions with PE teachers and youth sport coaches. After relevant databases were searched and duplicates were removed, 1,523 potentially pertinent articles were found. These were subsequently screened based on specific inclusion criteria. This systematic review process helped identify 21 studies that were included for further analyses. Overall, the interventions were frequently successful in enhancing PE teachers’ and youth sport coaches’ behavior. Additional research appears justified to foster self-determined motivation among children and adolescence.

Apprentices in the area of nursing care and automotive mechatronics are exposed to increased health risks. In this context, the promotion of physical activity (PA) is considered an effective strategy for the assurance of work ability. The goal of the PArC-AVE study was therefore to better understand the role of PA for apprentices employed in these two sectors. In an exploratory study, 55 apprentices wore an ActiGraph accelerometer over seven consecutive days and were subject to activity analysis. The objective accelerometer data (18,979 ± 3780 steps/day; 471.00 ± 159.75 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA/week), complemented by questionnaire data, indicated that most met the volume-based PA recommendations. Subsequently, we conducted a multicenter study comprising 745 apprentices from six vocational education institutions. Path analyses showed that competencies for health-enhancing PA were significantly related to indicators of work ability (0.180 ≤ b ≤ 0.452) and psychophysical health (0.139 ≤ b ≤ 0.347), whereas mere volume of PA was not (−0.048 ≤ b ≤ 0.080). In summary, apprentices of nursing care and automotive mechatronics showed high levels of PA. However, the results highlight the importance of competencies for health-enhancing PA. The PAHCO model could provide a useful framework for the conceptualization of effective interventions.

This study applies a cluster analysis to identify typical physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) patterns in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before starting pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). We implemented an observational design which assessed baseline data of objectively measured PA and SB from the STAR (Stay Active after Rehabilitation) study. A total of 355 persons wore an accelerometer (Actigraph wGT3X) for seven days before the start of their PR. Sociodemographic and disease-related parameters were assessed at the start of PR. We applied cluster analysis and compared clusters applying univariate variance analyses. Data was available for 326 persons (31.6% women; age ø = 58 years). Cluster analysis revealed four movement clusters with distinct PA and SB patterns: Sedentary non-movers (28.5%), sedentary occasional movers (41.7%), sedentary movers (19.6%), and sedentary exercisers (10.1%). The four clusters displayed varying levels of moderate PA before rehabilitation (Ø daily min: 9; 28; 38; 70). Notably, all four clusters displayed considerably long average sedentary time per day (Ø daily minutes: 644; 561; 490; 446). The clusters differed significantly in disease-related parameters of GOLD severity, FEV1, CAT, and 6-Min-Walk-Test. In addition to PA promotion, PR programs should consider the reduction of sedentary behaviour as a valuable goal.