Physical literacy levels of Canadian children aged 8–12 years: descriptive and normative results from the RBC Learn to Play–CAPL project

Abstract

BackgroundThe current physical literacy level of Canadian children is unknown. The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Learn to Play – Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) project, which is anchored in the Canadian consensus statement definition of physical literacy, aimed to help establish the current physical literacy level of Canadian children.MethodsThe CAPL was used to assess the physical literacy (and component domains: Daily Behaviour, Physical Competence, Knowledge and Understanding, and Motivation and Confidence) of Canadian children aged 8–12 years. Data were collected from 11 sites across Canada, yielding a sample of 10,034 participants (5030 girls). Descriptive statistics by age and gender were calculated and percentile distributions of physical literacy scores, including each domain and individual measure, were derived.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 10.1 ± 1.2 years. Total physical literacy scores (out of 100) were on average 63.1 ± 13.0 for boys and 62.2 ± 11.3 for girls. For boys and girls respectively, domain scores were 19.9 ± 4.7 and 19.3 ± 4.1 (out of 32) for Physical Competence; 18.6 ± 7.9 and 18.5 ± 7.4 (out of 32) for Daily Behaviour; 12.7 ± 2.8 and 12.2 ± 2.6 (out of 18) for Motivation and Confidence; and 11.8 ± 2.8 and 12.2 ± 2.6 (out of 18) for Knowledge and Understanding. Physical Competence measures were on average 28.1 ± 8.4 cm (sit-and-reach flexibility), 33.5 ± 9.4 kg (grip strength, right + left), 23.4 ± 14.1 laps (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run [PACER] shuttle run), 61.8 ± 43.8 s (isometric plank), 19.0 ± 3.8 kg/m2 (body mass index), 67.3 ± 10.8 cm (waist circumference), and 20.6 ± 3.9 out of 28 points for the Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA), with scores for boys higher than girls and older children higher than younger children for grip strength, PACER, plank, and CAMSA score. Girls and younger children had better scores on the sit-and-reach flexibility than boys and older children. Daily pedometer step counts were higher in boys than girls (12,355 ± 4252 vs. 10,779 ± 3624), and decreased with age.ConclusionsThese results provide the largest and most comprehensive assessment of physical literacy of Canadian children to date, providing a “state of the nation” baseline, and can be used to monitor changes and inform intervention strategies going forward.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5891-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Physical Literacy, Physical Activity, and Health Indicators in School-Age Children

“…To date, most research on the topic of physical literacy and health in children was conducted with a cross-Canadian sample of over 10,000 school-age children using the CAPL to assess physical literacy and field-based measures of health indicators [ 11 , 36 ]. A weak relationship was observed between indicators of aerobic fitness and children’s perceived adequacy and predilection toward physical activity, but not with other components of the CAPL [ 37 ].…”

Cardiorespiratory fitness in children: Evidence for criterion-referenced cut-points

“…This study is part of the RBC Learn to Play—Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (RBC-CAPL) project [ 20 ]. RBC-CAPL is a cross-sectional surveillance study that was carried out between 2014 and 2016, designed to evaluate the physical literacy levels of Canadian children using a standardized data collection protocol.…”

An R Package for Computing Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) scores and interpretations from raw data

“…The CAPL was developed on the premise that a physically active child is more likely to possess adequate knowledge and understanding of physical activity, motivation and confidence, and physical competence than a physically inactive child. The first version of CAPL was developed and refined between 2009 and 2013 [ 7 ] and later revised (CAPL-2) in 2017. The CAPL-2 reflects revisions based on assessments of over 10,000 Canadian children and is the culmination of test development efforts, with input from well over 100 researchers and practitioners within related fields of study [ 8 ].…”