Research Outputs
Relationship Between Body Composition and Physical Literacy in Chilean Children (10 to 16 Years): An Assessment Using CAPL-2
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of physical literacy (PL) in school children (10 to 16 years) in Santiago, Chile, and to explore the relationship between PL and body mass index (BMI). In addition, gender and age differences were analyzed in relation to PL levels in a context where childhood obesity remains a public health challenge. Methods: A total of 439 students in grades 5–8 were assessed using the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy-2 (CAPL-2) questionnaire. Demographic variables (sex, age, and BMI) were correlated with levels of motivation to engage in physical activity and physical activity knowledge. Chi-square and effect size were applied. Results: The results revealed a significant correlation between motivation for physical activity and gender, with boys showing higher levels of motivation than girls (χ² = 12.403, p < 0.006). In addition, an inverse relationship was observed between BMI and motivation (effect size = 0.198), suggesting that more motivated children tend to have a healthier BMI. Knowledge about physical activity increased with age (χ² = 60.460, p < 0.001) but did not have a significant influence on BMI. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need to design gender-specific interventions that enhance motivation as a key factor in promoting a healthy lifestyle and physical activity adherence. Public health strategies should include motivation-driven approaches to foster physical literacy and long-term engagement in physical activity, particularly for girls, to address pediatric health challenges in Chile. Public health policies should address these factors to improve pediatric health outcomes.
The bibliometric analysis of studies on physical literacy for a healthy life
This article empirically provides a global overview of physical literacy, which allows for the understanding of the structure of the epistemic community studying literacy for healthy living. Publications registered in the Web of Science are analyzed using bibliometrics (spatial, productive, and relational) based on data from 391 records, published between 2007 and April 2022, applying five bibliometric laws and using VOSviewer software for data and metadata processing and visualization. In terms of results, we observe an exponential increase in scientific production in the last decade, with a concentration of scientific discussion on physical literacy in seven journals; a production distributed in 46 countries situated on the five continents, but concentrated in Canada and the United States; co-authored research networks composed of 1256 researchers but with a production concentrated of around 2% of these, and an even smaller number of authors with high production and high impact. Finally, there are four thematic blocks that, although interacting, constitute three specific knowledge production communities that have been delineated over time in relation to health and quality of life, fitness and physical competence, education, and fundamental movement skills.