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Physical activity counselling can target cognitive-affective participation barriers, but counselling benefits for children with medical conditions/disabilities were unknown. This study investigated successes, challenges, and the impact of physical activity counselling on children and their families. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were completed with 7 patients (2 male/5 female, aged 13–17) and 4 parents who participated in 2–8 weekly counselling sessions (2015–2020). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim for inductive thematic analyses. Counselling encouraged positive mindset changes (viewing physical activity more holistically, making it "more fun and manageable", helping them to "learn how to love moving and doing sports"). Participants felt strong support (feeling heard, validated, and provided with "hope... that we can still achieve things... even though it may seem like there's limitations"). Counselling was viewed positively. The intent to improve active lifestyle attitudes and confidence was reflected in positive, primarily cognitive-affective (motivation for activity, "more general skills of having a positive attitude towards physical activity and the willingness to try new things") outcomes. More sessions, additional resources to keep, and follow-up after counselling completion were recommended to support behaviour change. Future research should evaluate enhanced counselling services and comparing children who have and have not received such counselling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Participation in physical activity is essential to the long‐term health and development of all children. However, children living with cardiac conditions are typically not active enough to sustain positive health outcomes. Understanding the experiences of children living with congenital heart disease in community‐based settings could help inform the physical activity counselling practices of clinicians. The current study explored the perceptions of 7‐ to 10‐year‐old children with moderate or complex congenital heart disease as they participated in a 10‐week multisport programme. Methods: Detailed field notes recorded the discussions and behaviours of 11 participants (45% female participants) each week during the programme sessions. Among those, four participants (50% female participants) were purposively selected to participate in preprogramme and postprogramme focus groups to gather more detailed accounts of their experiences. Results: Four main themes surrounding physical activity were identified: (a) motivation, (b) self‐efficacy, (c) peer influences, and (d) family influences. Although feelings of excitement and enjoyment towards physical activity were prevalent throughout the data ("I'm really excited ... because I really like those sports"), participants also often felt frustrated, nervous, and fatigued ("I'm not very good at the skills"). Social inclusion with peers and family influences were meaningful reasons to engage in physical activity ("I really like playing games together"). Following the completion of the programme, participants emphasized their enjoyment of physical activity as a primary source of motivation, demonstrating an important shift from recognizing positive health outcomes ("... it's good for you") towards more intrinsic sources of motivation ("... because it's fun"). Conclusion: Opportunities for physical activity that enhance positive experiences and build intrinsic motivation should be identified and promoted to children with congenital heart disease. Community‐based programmes may also be an appropriate context for children with cardiac conditions to engage and maintain participation in physical activity through adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) accurately and reliably assesses the physical literacy level of young children. However, in preliminary analyses ceiling effects were noted among 183 older children. The purposes of this study were to assess the validity of a modified CAPL designed for older children (CAPL 789) and to offer descriptive results. Methods: CAPL 789 assessed the physical literacy of Canadian children in grades 7–9. Data were collected from schools and recreation facilities in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario (Canada), yielding a new sample of 245 participants (129 girls, 13.7 ± 0.9 years). Descriptive statistics were calculated for all CAPL domains. Age and gender effects were examined to support the validity. Results: Physical competence score (/32) increased with age (F = 4.90, p < 0.05), the means in grades 7–9 being 18.9 ± 3.2, 20.9 ± 4.4 and 21.2 ± 3.4, respectively. Girls scored significantly higher (t = −2.29, p < 0.05) than boys (6.6 ± 1.2 vs 6.3 ± 1.3) in the knowledge assessment (/10). Conclusion: The CAPL 789 was feasible among children from grades 7–9. Additional research is required to establish the psychometric properties in children 12 to 16 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term physical literacy is relatively new, and its definition, conceptual underpinning, how it is measured, how to change it, and its relationship with holistic health and wellness across the life span are a few of many foundational issues that lack consensus. At present, there are more questions than answers. The purpose of this article is to highlight 10 important research questions related to physical literacy with the hope of fueling future research activity and debate. Input was sought from international experts and practitioners on priorities and research gaps related to physical literacy. This list was supplemented by personal experience and research priorities identified in published manuscripts. From these various sources, the top 10 research questions related to physical literacy were compiled. Research related to physical literacy is in its infancy, and many important, even fundamental research questions and priorities remain unanswered. Research needs are summarized within 4 themes: monitoring physical literacy, understanding the physical literacy journey, enhancing physical literacy, and the benefits of physical literacy. Specific research questions relate to identifying measurable aspects of physical literacy and how they change across cultures and throughout the life span, as well as understanding the individual and environmental factors that describe the physical literacy journey and are effective targets for interventions. Physical literacy is increasingly recognized as the foundation for a healthy active lifestyle; however, robust research demonstrating its constitution, its relationship with health-related outcomes, and intervention strategies for its improvement remains to be completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend children accumulate 60+ minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. Currently only 7% of healthy Canadian children meet these guidelines. The purpose of this study, which was in conjunction with the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region, was to investigate the physical activity knowledge impact of the Y Kids Academy, a citywide course aimed at improving the proportion of Canadian children that meet the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Methods: Grade 6 children were eligible to enroll in the Y Kids Academy, which took place at YMCA-YWCA centres across the National Capital Region. Before attending Y Kids, each child completed the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL), which measured physical literacy motivation, physical competence, knowledge and behavior. CAPL scores were compared to data for 3000 Canadian children to evaluate baseline physical literacy among Y Kids participants. Participants were also assessed using the Y Kids questionnaire, which evaluated course knowledge before (Baseline), after (1st follow up), and five months after completing the Y Kids Academy course (2nd follow up). Results: 163 children (73 female, 45%), 9 to 14 years of age (mean 11.1 years ± 0.82) were enrolled in the study. At baseline, CAPL scores were similar (p=0.99) between Y Kids participants (mean score 62.41 ±11.8) and Canadian children (60.70 ± 11.8). Y Kids knowledge increased (p<0.001) from baseline (mean score 10.39 ± 5.4) to end of course (12.73 ± 6.5). Five months after course completion, knowledge remained above baseline (mean difference 2.69 ± 5.2, p=0.03) and was unchanged from the post-course assessment (0.00 ± 5.7, p=0.5). Discussion: The physical literacy of children enrolled in the Y Kids Academy was not significantly different from Canadian reference data, indicating that the Y Kids Academy was appealing to children with higher and lower physical literacy. The Y Kids Academy effectively increases the physical activity knowledge of older children and young adolescents, an improvement sustained over 5 months, even among those with limited knowledge, motivation, physical competence or daily physical activity behavior. Future research should investigate the impact of Y Kids participation on these other aspects of physical literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) assesses the capacity of children to lead a physically active lifestyle. It is comprised of a battery of standardized assessment protocols that reflect the Canadian consensus definition of physical literacy. The Royal Bank of Canada Learn to Play - Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy study implemented the CAPL with 10,034 Canadian children (50.1% female), 8 to 12 years of age. Feedback during data collection, necessary changes identified by the coordinating centre, and recent data analyses suggested that a streamlined, second edition of the CAPL was required. The purpose of this paper is to describe the methods used to develop the CAPL second edition (CAPL-2).Methods: The larger dataset created through the RBC-Learn to Play CAPL study enabled the re-examination of the CAPL model through factor analyses specific to Canadian children 8 to 12 years of age from across Canada. This comprehensive database was also used to examine the CAPL protocols for redundancy or variables that did not contribute significantly to the overall assessment. Removing redundancy had been identified as a priority in order to reduce the high examiner and participant burden. The "lessons learned" from such a large national surveillance project were reviewed for additional information regarding the changes that would be required to optimize the assessment of children's physical literacy. In addition, administrative changes, improvements, and corrections were identified as necessary to improve the quality and accuracy of the CAPL manual and training materials.Results: For each domain of the CAPL, recommended changes based on the factor analyses, qualitative feedback and theoretical considerations significantly reduced the number of protocols. Specific protocol combinations were then evaluated for model fit within the overarching concept of physical literacy. The CAPL-2 continues to reflect the four components of the Canadian consensus definition of physical literacy: Motivation and Confidence, Physical Competence, Knowledge and Understanding, and engagement in Physical Activity Behaviour. The CAPL-2 is comprised of three Physical Competence protocols (plank, Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run [PACER], Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment [CAMSA]), two Daily Behaviour protocol (pedometer steps, self-reported physical activity), and a 22-item questionnaire assessing the physical literacy domains of Motivation and Confidence, and Knowledge and Understanding. Detailed information about the CAPL-2 is available online ( www.capl-eclp.ca ).Conclusions: The CAPL-2 dramatically reduces examiner and participant burden (three Physical Competence protocols, two Daily Behaviour protocols, and a 22-response questionnaire; versus eight Physical Competence protocols, three Daily Behaviour protocols and a 72-response questionnaire for the original CAPL), while continuing to be a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of children's physical literacy using the Canadian consensus definition of this term. Like the original, the CAPL-2 continues to offer maximum flexibility to practitioners, who can choose to complete the entire CAPL-2 assessment, only one or more domains, or select individual protocols. Regardless of the assessment selected, scores are available to interpret the performance of each child relative to Canadian children of the same age and sex. All of the protocols included in the CAPL-2 have published reports of validity and reliability for this age group (8 to 12 years). The detailed manual for CAPL-2 administration, along with training materials and other resources, are available free of charge on the CAPL-2 website ( www.capl-eclp.ca ). All CAPL-2 materials and resources, including the website, are available in both English and French. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) is a 25-indicator assessment tool comprising four domains of physical literacy: (1) Physical Competence, (2) Daily Behaviour, (3) Motivation and Confidence, and (4) Knowledge and Understanding. The purpose of this study was to re-examine the factor structure of CAPL scores and the relative weight of each domain for an overall physical literacy factor. Our goal was to maximize content representation, and reduce construct irrelevant variance and participant burden, to inform the development of CAPL-2 (a revised, shorter, and theoretically stronger version of CAPL).Methods: Canadian children (n = 10,034; Mage = 10.6, SD = 1.2; 50.1% girls) completed CAPL testing at one time point. Confirmatory factor analysis was used.Results: Based on weak factor loadings (λs < 0.32) and conceptual alignment, we removed body mass index, waist circumference, sit-and-reach flexibility, and grip strength as indicators of Physical Competence. Based on the factor loading (λ < 0.35) and conceptual alignment, we removed screen time as an indicator of Daily Behaviour. To reduce redundancy, we removed children's activity compared to other children as an indicator of Motivation and Confidence. Based on low factor loadings (λs < 0.35) and conceptual alignment, we removed knowledge of screen time guidelines, what it means to be healthy, how to improve fitness, activity preferences, and physical activity safety gear indicators from the Knowledge and Understanding domain. The final refined CAPL model was comprised of 14 indicators, and the four-factor correlated model fit the data well (r ranged from 0.08 to 0.76), albeit with an unexpected cross-loading from Daily Behaviour to knowledge of physical activity guidelines (mean- and variance-adjusted weighted least square [WLSMV] χ2(70) = 1221.29, p < 0.001, Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = 0.947, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.041[0.039, 0.043]). Finally, our higher-order model with Physical Literacy as a factor with indicators of Physical Competence (λ = 0.68), Daily Behaviour (λ = 0.91), Motivation and Confidence (λ = 0.80), and Knowledge and Understanding (λ = 0.21) fit the data well.Conclusions: The scores from the revised and much shorter 14-indicator model of CAPL can be used to assess the four correlated domains of physical literacy and/or a higher-order aggregate physical literacy factor. The results of this investigation will inform the development of CAPL-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical literacy is an emerging construct in children's health promotion, and may impact their lifelong physical activity habits. However, recent data reveal that only a small portion of Canadian children are regularly physically active and/or meet sedentary behaviour guidelines. To our knowledge, no study has investigated the association between physical literacy and movement behaviour guidelines. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical literacy scores in Canadian children who meet or do not meet physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines.Methods: Children (n = 2956; 56.6% girls) aged 8-12 years from 10 Canadian cities had their physical literacy levels measured using the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy, which consists of four domains (Physical Competence; Daily Behaviour; Knowledge and Understanding; and Motivation and Confidence) that are aggregated to provide a composite physical literacy score. Physical activity levels were measured by pedometers, and sedentary behaviour was assessed through self-report questionnaire. Analyses were conducted separately for each guideline, comparing participants meeting versus those not meeting the guidelines. Comparisons were performed using MANOVA and logistic regression to control for age, gender, and seasonality.Results: Participants meeting physical activity guidelines or sedentary behaviour guidelines had higher physical literacy domain scores for Physical Competence and for Motivation and Confidence compared to those not meeting either guideline (both p < 0.0001). Participants had increased odds of meeting physical activity guidelines and sedentary behaviour guidelines if they met the minimum recommended level of the Physical Competence and Motivation and Confidence domains. Significant age (OR 0.9; 95% CI: 0.8, 0.9), gender (OR 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.5) and seasonality effects (OR 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.2 spring and OR 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.5 summer, reference winter) were seen for physical activity guidelines, and age (OR 0.8; 95% CI: 0.7, 0.8) and gender effects (OR 1.7; 95% CI: 1.4, 2.0) for sedentary behaviour guidelines. Knowledge and Understanding of physical activity principles was not related to guideline adherence in either model.Conclusions: These cross-sectional findings demonstrate important associations between physical literacy and guideline adherence for physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Future research should explore the causality of these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The associations between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and physical literacy in children are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between CRF, measured using the 20-m shuttle run test (20mSRT), and components of physical literacy among Canadian children aged 8-12 years.Methods: A total of 9393 (49.9% girls) children, with a mean (SD) age of 10.1 (±1.2) years, from a cross-sectional surveillance study were included for this analysis. The SRT was evaluated using a standardized 15 m or 20 m protocol. All 15 m SRTs were converted to 20mSRT values using a standardized formula. The four domains of physical literacy (Physical Competence, Daily Behaviour, Motivation and Confidence, and Knowledge and Understanding) were measured using the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy. Tertiles were identified for 20mSRT laps, representing low, medium, and high CRF for each age and gender group. Cohen's d was used to calculate the effect size between the low and high CRF groups.Results: CRF was strongly and favourably associated with all components of physical literacy among school-aged Canadian children. The effect size between low and high CRF tertile groups was large for the Physical Competence domain (Cohen's d range: 1.11-1.94) across age and gender groups, followed by moderate to large effect sizes for Motivation and Confidence (Cohen's d range: 0.54-1.18), small to moderate effect sizes for Daily Behaviour (Cohen's d range: 0.25-0.81), and marginal to moderate effect sizes for Knowledge and Understanding (Cohen's d range: 0.08-0.70).Conclusions: This study identified strong favourable associations between CRF and physical literacy and its constituent components in children aged 8-12 years. Future research should investigate the sensitivity and specificity of the 20mSRT in screening those with low physical literacy levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) is divided into four domains (Physical Competence, Daily Behaviour, Motivation and Confidence, and Knowledge and Understanding) and provides a robust and comprehensive assessment of physical literacy. As weight status is known to influence health-related behaviours such as physical fitness and activity, it is important to investigate whether the associations between the domains of physical literacy vary among children of different weight status. The aim of this study was to determine the associations among the four domains of physical literacy stratified by weight status.Methods: Canadian children aged 8 to 12 years (n = 8343, 63.6% healthy-weight) completed the CAPL. Differences in domain scores and overall physical literacy score by weight status (children of healthy weight versus children with overweight/obese) were assessed using MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance). Partial correlations between the four domains were calculated, adjusting for gender and age, and correlation coefficients of both weight status groups were compared using the Steiger test.Results: For all four domains as well as overall physical literacy, healthy-weight children had higher scores than their overweight/obese peers (Cohen's d ranged from 0.05 to 0.44). Weak to moderate correlations were found between all of the domains for both groups. Correlation coefficients for Physical Competence and Daily Behaviour as well as for Physical Competence and Knowledge and Understanding were generally stronger in the healthy-weight children (r = 0.29 and 0.22, respectively) compared with the overweight/obese children (r = 0.23 and 0.17, respectively).Conclusions: All of the domains of the CAPL correlate positively with each other regardless of weight status, with a trend for these correlation coefficients to be slightly stronger in the healthy-weight children. The overall weak to moderate correlations between the domains in both groups suggest that the CAPL domains are not measuring the same constructs, thus providing support for CAPL's psychometric architecture in both healthy-weight and overweight/obese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]