# Physical Literacy-Focused Education Improves Fitness Markers in Preadolescents: Implications for School-Based Health Promotion

## TL;DR

A physical literacy-focused education program in school PE classes improved preadolescents' jumping power and abdominal strength without extra resources.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates the real-world feasibility and effectiveness of integrating physical literacy into standard PE classes for improving fitness in preadolescents.

## Key findings

- The intervention significantly improved jumping power and abdominal strength in preadolescent children.
- The program was implemented using standard PE resources, making it scalable for schools.
- Improvements in fitness suggest potential long-term benefits for physical activity and health.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
A physical literacy-based intervention led to small, but significant, improvements in specific fitness domains among preadolescent children, particularly jumping power and abdominal strength.The intervention was successfully implemented within regular physical education classes, requiring no additional resources or time, making it a real-world, scalable model for schools.

A physical literacy-based intervention led to small, but significant, improvements in specific fitness domains among preadolescent children, particularly jumping power and abdominal strength.

The intervention was successfully implemented within regular physical education classes, requiring no additional resources or time, making it a real-world, scalable model for schools.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Enhancing physical fitness in preadolescents can lay a foundation for lifelong physical activity, potentially reducing the future burden of chronic non-communicable diseases.The applied model is suitable for public health programs in schools, especially in low-resource settings.

Enhancing physical fitness in preadolescents can lay a foundation for lifelong physical activity, potentially reducing the future burden of chronic non-communicable diseases.

The applied model is suitable for public health programs in schools, especially in low-resource settings.

Background/Objectives: Physical literacy (PL) is globally recognized as a foundational determinant of health status in children, but the effects of interventions based on PL were rarely studied in preadolescent children. The aim of this quasi-experimental, school-based study was to evaluate the potential effects of a PL intervention delivered during regular school hours on physical fitness (PF), physical literacy (PL), and physical activity (PA) in children aged 9 to 11 years from southern Croatia. Methods: Participants were 125 preadolescents (57 girls), and were grouped into a control group (C = 70), and an experimental group (E, n = 55). The E group participated in a specific PL-focused education, integrated into regular physical education (PE) lessons as a 5–6 min substitute for standard PE content, over 12 weeks (36 PE classes in total). The C group participated in the standard PE curriculum. A pre–post–retention design was used, and the observed variables included anthropometrics (height, weight, BMI), PF (jumping power, abdominal strength, upper body strength, flexibility, mobility, and cardiovascular endurance), PL (evaluated by the PLAYself questionnaire), and indirectly measured PA (estimated via the PAQ-C questionnaire). Multivariate (MANOVA and univariate (ANOVA) analyses of variance for repeated measurements were used with time, gender, and group as the main effects, including their interactions. Results: MANOVA calculated for a set of PF variables revealed significant main effects for time (F = 1361, p < 0.001) and a significant time × group interaction (F = 2.98, p < 0.05). Univariate ANOVA indicated specific intervention effects for jumping power and abdominal strength, favoring the E group. No significant differential effects were observed for PL or PA. Conclusions: The study demonstrated small, but statistically significant, improvements in PF indicators among children exposed to the PL-based intervention. Notably, the intervention was conducted in authentic school settings using standard resources, supporting the ecological validity and real-world applicability of the findings.