Abstract
Despite ongoing efforts to increase adolescent physical activity (PA), participation rates among youth continue to decline. Physical literacy (PL), defined as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to engage in PA for life, has become an important area of focus in PA promotion. However, existing PL models and messaging tools are often designed without input from adolescents themselves, resulting in resources that may lack relevance and impact. The purpose of this study was to understand how adolescents perceive current PL resources and work alongside them to create revised messaging that better resonates with their experiences.
This study employed a participatory, qualitative design to explore how adolescents understand PL and their responses to both existing and revised PL resources. Fifteen adolescents (ages 13–18) from Victoria, BC, participated in three rounds of semi-structured focus groups. Categorical thematic analysis revealed four key findings: (1) PA disengagement was shaped by identity misalignment, performance pressure, and toxic social environments; (2) adolescents had not heard of PL, but intuitively understood its core concepts; (3) current PL models were irrelevant, overly complex, or juvenile; and (4) adolescents had clear ideas of how to improve PL messaging through inclusive, visually engaging, and relatable content.
Our results highlight the value of involving adolescents in the co-design of health messaging. By centering youth voice, PL resources can better support adolescent motivation, confidence, and sustained engagement in PA. These findings, along with our co-developed PL and PA resources, offer practical implications for promoting PA among Canadian adolescents.
