Relationship between perceived physical literacy and obesity-related outcomes in adolescents: the EHDLA study

PurposeThe aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between perceived physical literacy and obesity-related outcomes among adolescents from Spain.MethodsThis is a secondary cross-sectional analysis including a total sample of 845 Spanish adolescents (55.3% girls) aged 12–17 years from the Valle de Ricote (Region of Murcia) from the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities (EHDLA) project. Physical literacy was evaluated using the Spanish Perceived Physical Literacy Instrument for adolescents (S-PPLI). Body mass index was computed by taking the participants’ body weight in kilograms and dividing it by the square of their height in meters, and body mass index (z score) and overweight/obesity and obesity were computed by the World Health Organization age- and sex-specific thresholds. Waist circumference was measured using a constant tension tape. Moreover, the waist-to-height ratio was calculated, and therefore, abdominal obesity was determined. Skinfold measurements were taken at the triceps and medial calf using calibrated steel calipers.ResultsIn general, the overall trend was downward (i.e., the higher the PPLI score the lower the obesity-related indicators), with the approximate significance of smooth terms being statistically significant for all models examined (p