TY - JOUR

T1 - Associations between previous sport and exercise experience and physical literacy elements among physically inactive Danes

AU - Elsborg, Peter

AU - Heinze, Clara

AU - Melby, Paulina Sander

AU - Nielsen, Glen

AU - Bentsen, Peter

AU - Ryom, Knud

N1 - CURIS 2021 NEXS 252

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Background: Physical inactivity is recognized as a leading global public health threat. Physical Literacy, a concept describing an individual’s prerequisites to participate in and adhere to physical activities, has been suggested to be a key concept in understanding physical activity in various populations. The aim of this study was to describe the prerequisites for physical activity among inactive adults in terms of their physical literacy and previous experience with sport and exercise and how these are interrelated. Methods: Sample: 1033 physical inactive Danes. Measures: BREQ-3, ESES, the Levels of knowledge questionnaire and the physical self-confidence scale. Results: Inactive Danish adult’s physical literacy scores are generally low compared to samples in other studies. Inactive adults with no or little previous experience with sport and exercise had lower levels of competences, self-efficacy and autonomous motivation for exercise and sport than the inactive with more experience. Previous sport and exercise experience was positively associated to the physical and affective domain of PL.Conclusion: Previous experience with sport and exercise is very important to consider when developing sport and exercise activities for currently inactive adults as individuals with low previous experience have lower competencesand autonomous motivation and therefore need lower challenges and other important attention to the motivational climate in order to ensure that the activities are motivating enough to secure continued engagement.

AB - Background: Physical inactivity is recognized as a leading global public health threat. Physical Literacy, a concept describing an individual’s prerequisites to participate in and adhere to physical activities, has been suggested to be a key concept in understanding physical activity in various populations. The aim of this study was to describe the prerequisites for physical activity among inactive adults in terms of their physical literacy and previous experience with sport and exercise and how these are interrelated. Methods: Sample: 1033 physical inactive Danes. Measures: BREQ-3, ESES, the Levels of knowledge questionnaire and the physical self-confidence scale. Results: Inactive Danish adult’s physical literacy scores are generally low compared to samples in other studies. Inactive adults with no or little previous experience with sport and exercise had lower levels of competences, self-efficacy and autonomous motivation for exercise and sport than the inactive with more experience. Previous sport and exercise experience was positively associated to the physical and affective domain of PL.Conclusion: Previous experience with sport and exercise is very important to consider when developing sport and exercise activities for currently inactive adults as individuals with low previous experience have lower competencesand autonomous motivation and therefore need lower challenges and other important attention to the motivational climate in order to ensure that the activities are motivating enough to secure continued engagement.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Physical literacy

KW - Physical activity

KW - Inactivity

KW - Motivation

KW - Self-confidence

KW - Motor skills

KW - Motor competences

U2 - 10.1186/s12889-021-11299-2

DO - 10.1186/s12889-021-11299-2

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34187441

VL - 21

JO - BMC Public Health

JF - BMC Public Health

SN - 1471-2458

M1 - 1248

ER -