Background: The increasing prevalence of physical inactivity, declining fitness, and rising childhood obesity highlight the importance of physical literacy (PL), as a foundational component for fostering lifelong health and active lifestyle. This recognition necessitates the development of effective tools for PL assessment that are applicable across diverse cultural landscapes. Aim: This study aimed to translate the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy-2 (CAPL-2) into Urdu and adapt it for the Pakistani cultural context, to assess PL among children aged 8–12 years in Pakistan. Method: The Urdu version of CAPL-2 was administered among 1,360 children aged 8–12 from 87 higher secondary schools across three divisions in South Punjab province, Pakistan. Statistical analysis includes test-retest reliability and construct validity, employing confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the tool’s performance both overall and within specific subdomains. Results: The Urdu version of CAPL-2 demonstrated strong content validity, with a Content Validity Ratio of 0.89. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor structure proposed by the original developers, evidenced by excellent model fit indices (GFI = 0.984, CFI = 0.979, TLI = 0.969, RMSEA = 0.041). High internal consistency was observed across all domains (α = 0.988 to 0.995), with significant correlations among most, excluding the Knowledge and Understanding domains. Notably, gender and age significantly influenced performance, with boys generally scoring higher than girls, with few exceptions. Conclusion: This study marks a significant step in the cross-cultural adaptation of PL assessment tools, successfully validating the CAPL-2 Urdu version for the Pakistani context for the first time. The findings affirm the tool’s suitability for assessing PL among Pakistani children, evidencing its validity and reliability across the Pakistani population.

Background: The decline in adolescent physical fitness is a significant global public health concern, and Pakistan is no exception. The country’s absence of a health-related physical fitness (HRPF) evaluation system has compounded this issue. To bridge this gap, this study aims to develop a scientifically-based HRPF evaluation system for the adolescent population that meets international standards. The evaluation system identifies at-risk children and improves adolescent health outcomes, including obesity, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders, chronic diseases, and psychological illnesses, through crucial physical fitness evaluation. This study specifically aims to establish an HRPF evaluation system for school adolescents aged 12–16 in Pakistan.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,970 school adolescents aged 12–16 years in the South Punjab, Pakistan. The study used a stratified sampling technique to select participants. The HRPF evaluation system included four components: cardiorespiratory endurance, core muscular endurance, muscular strength, and body composition. Data were collected through standardized tests and anthropometric measurements.Results: The study’s results indicated that the HRPF evaluation scoring system was feasible and valid for evaluating the HRPF of school adolescents in the South Punjab region of Pakistan. The results of the evaluation system categorized participants into five groups based on their performance: excellent (6.2%), good (24.9%), medium (50.7%), poor (17%), and very poor (1.2%).Conclusion: The study establishes an HRPF evaluation system for Pakistani school adolescents. This system lays the foundation for implementing effective strategies to improve their physical health. The findings offer valuable insights to policymakers, health professionals, and educators, enabling them to promote fitness and devise impactful interventions for enhancing HRPF in this population.

(1) Background: Physical literacy (PL) is a multidimensional concept, since it fosters lifetime engagement in physical activities and reduces obesity; however, empirical evidence is lacking to support this association. This study first aimed to establish PL levels stratified by normal weight children and children with overweight and obesity. Furthermore, this study determined a correlation between PL domains and BMI by weight status among South Punjab school children. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 1360 (Boys: 675 and Girls: 685) children aged 8 to 12, and was conducted using CAPL-2. T-tests and chi-square were used to determine the difference between categorical variables, with MANOVA used to compare weight statuses. Spearman correlation was employed to determine the correlation between variables; p < 0.05 was considered significant. (3) Results: Normal weight children had significantly higher PL and domain scores, except for the knowledge domain. Most children with normal weights were at the achieving and excelling levels, while children with overweight and obesity were at the beginning and progressing levels. The correlation among PL domains in normal and overweight and obese children ranged from weak to strong (r = 0.001 to 0.737), and the knowledge domain was inversely correlated with the motivation domain (r = −0.023). PL and domain scores were inversely correlated to BMI, except for the knowledge domain. (4) Conclusions: Children with normal weight tend to have higher PL and domain scores, while those with overweight or obesity tend to have lower scores. There was a positive relationship between normal weight and higher PL and domain scores, and an inverse relationship was observed between BMI and higher PL scores.

Background: Physical literacy (PL) encompasses an individual’s motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge, all of which foster lifelong engagement in physical activities. In developing countries like Pakistan, there is a pressing need to assess PL status using culturally valid tools. This study aims to evaluate PL among children aged 8–12 in South Punjab, Pakistan while developing normative reference curves and exploring factors influencing PL. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,360 students (mean age = 10.00, SD = 1.41 years) from 85 schools, using a culturally adapted and validated version of the CAPL-2 tool. The CAPL-2 scoring system was validated to align with the population and cultural context. Statistical analyses, including t-tests, Chi-squared tests, Pearson’s correlation, multivariate logistic regression, and Classification and regression tree methods, were performed to identify factors associated with PL classifications, with significance set at p < 0.05. The Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape were used to create age- and sex-specific PL normative reference curves. Result: The study revealed significant influences of gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and locality on PL. Boys consistently scored higher in PL across all domains compared to girls, with significant differences (p < 0.001) in all but the knowledge and understanding domain (p = 0.160). Boys’ PL scores were 6% higher overall, with a 7% and 5% advantage in the daily behavior and physical competence domains, respectively. Children from low SES and rural settings exhibited significantly higher PL scores than their middle/high SES and urban counterparts (p < 0.001). Walking to school was positively correlated with higher PL scores, while children traveling by car had the lowest scores (p < 0.001). Anthropometric differences between genders were noted, further emphasizing the disparities in physical competence. Most participants (71.6%) fell into the "Beginning" or "Progressing" PL categories, with females predominantly in these lower stages. Conclusion: This study reveals that gender, SES, and locality significantly impact PL among children in South Punjab, Pakistan. Boys, lower SES groups, and rural children showed higher PL scores, with everyday activities like walking to school positively contributing to PL development. These findings emphasize the need for targeted, demographically sensitive interventions to enhance PL in the region.

Background. Physical literacy is vital for addressing children’s health issues such as childhood obesity, physical inactivity, and sedentary behavior. However, there is a lack of research on PL assessment in Pakistan. This study is aimed at translating and cross-culturally adapting the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy-2 (CAPL-2) tool and establishing its validity and reliability in the Pakistani population. Methods. The CAPL-2 was translated to Urdu employing the translation and back translation method. A cross-sectional study involving 350 school children (8-12 years) from Multan, South Punjab, evaluated the CAPL-2U version’s reliability. Results. Expert consensus and pilot testing successfully achieved translation, cross-cultural adaptation, face and content validity. The CAPL-2U demonstrated excellent reliability and internal consistency across the domains. Specifically, daily behavior domain had an internal consistency of and test-retest reliability of . Knowledge and understanding domain showed internal consistency ranging from to 0.986 and test-retest reliability of to 0.986. The motivation and confidence domain had an internal consistency of to 0.997 and test-retest reliability of to 0.993. The correlation between test-retest results for knowledge and understanding and motivation and confidence domains was to 0.973. However, two items in the motivation and confidence domain showed discrepancies in test-retest outcomes. Conclusion. The study confirms the successful translation and adaptation of the CAPL-2 questionnaire for use in Urdu and Pakistani contexts. The findings endorse the tool’s reliability and suitability for assessing physical literacy in Pakistan’s children aged 8-12.

Relationship between Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity with Health-Related Physical Fitness Indicators among Pakistani School Adolescents: Yaali-Pak Study: Background. The current study is the foremost study exploring the relationships between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and health-related physical fitness indicators among 12–16-year-old adolescents of the South Punjab region of Pakistan. Methods. The researcher adopted the cross-sectional research design for the study. A total of 2970 participants (1477 boys and 1493 girls) aged adolescents from South Punjab, Pakistan, completed health-related physical fitness indicators measuring strength, endurance, and aerobic capacity through a hand-grip strength test, modified pull-up test, plank test, and 20-m shuttle run test, and physical activity were subjectively assessed by International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Linear regression models were used to explore the between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with health-related physical fitness indicators. Results. Positive associations were observed between hand-grip strength ( ), modified pull-up ( ), plank exercise ( ), and 20-m shuttle run test ( ), with MVPA. The gender-specific comparison also indicated a significant ( ) and positive relationship. The results revealed that as MVPA increases, body composition, muscular strength, core muscular endurance, and aerobic capacity could improve in both genders. Conclusions. MVPA appears to be an effective and reliable predictor of health-related physical fitness among school adolescents.