ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Management of Disease
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1601852
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Physical Education in Adolescent Life Satisfaction and Well-beingView all 4 articles
Sociodemographic correlates of perceived physical literacy in Spanish adolescents: results from the EHDLA study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
- 2University of the Americas, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
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Background/Objective. Perceived physical literacy (PPL) is a crucial factor influencing adolescents' engagement in physical activity and overall well-being. This study tried to determine the sociodemographic correlates of PPL among adolescents in Spain. Methods. A total of 1378 participants (51% girls, median age = 14 years, interquartile range [IQR] = 13–16) were analyzed. PPL was assessed via the Spanish Perceived Physical Literacy Scale (S-PPLL), with a median score of 33.0 (IQR = 30.0–37.0). A generalized linear model was carried out to determine the correlates associated with a higher PPL. Results. The model revealed significant associations between sex, SES, and maternal education with PPL. Compared with boys, girls presented a lower association with PPL (unstandardized beta coefficient [B] = -1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.93 to -0.55, p < 0.001). A higher SES was positively associated with greater PPL (medium SES: B = 1.76, 95% CI = 0.81 to 2.70, p < 0.001; high SES: B = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.22 to 3.45, p < 0.001), in comparison with those with lower SES. Additionally, maternal education level was positively associated with adolescents’ PPL scores, with higher education levels linked to greater PPL (B = 1.48, 95% CI = 0.41 to 2.55, p = 0.007). However, factors such as immigrant status, paternal education, family structure, number of siblings, type of schooling, and area of residence were not significantly associated with PPL (p > 0.05). Conclusion. Sex, SES, and maternal education influence adolescents' PPL, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address disparities and promote PL.
Keywords: adolescents1, Correlates2, education3, Perceived physical literacy4, Espacio Antes: 6 pto Con formato: Español (España) Con formato: Español (España)
Received: 28 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mendoza-Muñoz, López-Gil, Pereira-Payo and Pastor-Cisneros. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: José Francisco López-Gil, University of the Americas, Quito, 170137, Pichincha, Ecuador
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