Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation model

ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the relationships between social support, physical literacy, and healthy lifestyle beliefs in adolescents and to investigate the moderating effect of enjoyment of physical activities on these relationships.MethodThe study was conducted with the participation of 1,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mehmet Akif Yücekaya, Sinan Uğraş, Ahmet Enes Sagin, Arif Çetin, Teodora-Mihaela Iconomescu, Laurențiu-Gabriel Talaghir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1617124/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849242616941510656
author Mehmet Akif Yücekaya
Sinan Uğraş
Ahmet Enes Sagin
Arif Çetin
Teodora-Mihaela Iconomescu
Laurențiu-Gabriel Talaghir
author_facet Mehmet Akif Yücekaya
Sinan Uğraş
Ahmet Enes Sagin
Arif Çetin
Teodora-Mihaela Iconomescu
Laurențiu-Gabriel Talaghir
author_sort Mehmet Akif Yücekaya
collection DOAJ
description ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the relationships between social support, physical literacy, and healthy lifestyle beliefs in adolescents and to investigate the moderating effect of enjoyment of physical activities on these relationships.MethodThe study was conducted with the participation of 1,349 adolescents. The ages of the participants ranged between 10 and 14 years, and 49.6% were male (n = 669) and 50.4% were female (n = 680). Data were collected using the Healthy Lifestyle Belief Scale for Adolescents to measure adolescents' healthy lifestyle beliefs, the Perceived Physical Literacy Scale for Adolescents (PPLSA) to determine their physical literacy levels, the Social Support Scale in Physical Activities to assess the perception of social support, and the Enjoyment of Physical Activity Scale to measure the level of enjoyment of physical activities. The study tested the moderated mediation model for its association among the variables.ResultsThe model developed in this study found social support in PA predicted health lifestyle beliefs, positively, and significantly. Social support and perceptions of a healthy lifestyle are moderated by physical literacy, research shows. A further analysis also found that the relationship between physical literacy and social support is moderated by enjoyment of physical activities. However, the association between social support and healthy lifestyle beliefs and between physical literacy and healthy lifestyle beliefs were not appreciably influenced by enjoyment in physical activity. The findings indicated that social support has a positive and significant effect on physical literacy and attitudes toward healthy lifestyle. Physical literacy was identified as a central contributor to improving adolescents' health habits by mediating the relationship between social support and conceptions of healthy living. However, the enjoyment of fitness did not matter in some situations, the study found. These results further illustrate the importance of promoting social support and physical literacy instruction to promote a wellness lifestyle adoption by adolescents. The possible long-term effects of feeling good about exercising in various settings, and for health-related habits, should receive more scrutiny.
format Article
id doaj-art-d2b6048bbf4d47028fdcb690b3fb2078
institution Kabale University
issn 2296-2565
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Public Health
spelling doaj-art-d2b6048bbf4d47028fdcb690b3fb20782025-08-20T03:59:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-08-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.16171241617124Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation modelMehmet Akif Yücekaya0Sinan Uğraş1Ahmet Enes Sagin2Arif Çetin3Teodora-Mihaela Iconomescu4Laurențiu-Gabriel Talaghir5Department of Sports Management, School of Physical Education and Sports, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, TürkiyeDepartment of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, TürkiyeDepartment of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Bartin University, Bartýn, TürkiyeDepartment of Sports Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Marmara University, Kadıköy, TürkiyeDepartment of Sport Games and Physical Education, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Dunarea de Jos University, Galați, RomaniaDepartment of Individual Sport and Physical Therapy, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Dunarea de Jos University, Galați, RomaniaObjectiveThis study aims to examine the relationships between social support, physical literacy, and healthy lifestyle beliefs in adolescents and to investigate the moderating effect of enjoyment of physical activities on these relationships.MethodThe study was conducted with the participation of 1,349 adolescents. The ages of the participants ranged between 10 and 14 years, and 49.6% were male (n = 669) and 50.4% were female (n = 680). Data were collected using the Healthy Lifestyle Belief Scale for Adolescents to measure adolescents' healthy lifestyle beliefs, the Perceived Physical Literacy Scale for Adolescents (PPLSA) to determine their physical literacy levels, the Social Support Scale in Physical Activities to assess the perception of social support, and the Enjoyment of Physical Activity Scale to measure the level of enjoyment of physical activities. The study tested the moderated mediation model for its association among the variables.ResultsThe model developed in this study found social support in PA predicted health lifestyle beliefs, positively, and significantly. Social support and perceptions of a healthy lifestyle are moderated by physical literacy, research shows. A further analysis also found that the relationship between physical literacy and social support is moderated by enjoyment of physical activities. However, the association between social support and healthy lifestyle beliefs and between physical literacy and healthy lifestyle beliefs were not appreciably influenced by enjoyment in physical activity. The findings indicated that social support has a positive and significant effect on physical literacy and attitudes toward healthy lifestyle. Physical literacy was identified as a central contributor to improving adolescents' health habits by mediating the relationship between social support and conceptions of healthy living. However, the enjoyment of fitness did not matter in some situations, the study found. These results further illustrate the importance of promoting social support and physical literacy instruction to promote a wellness lifestyle adoption by adolescents. The possible long-term effects of feeling good about exercising in various settings, and for health-related habits, should receive more scrutiny.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1617124/fullsocial supportphysical literacyhealthy lifestyle beliefsphysical activityadolescents
spellingShingle Mehmet Akif Yücekaya
Sinan Uğraş
Ahmet Enes Sagin
Arif Çetin
Teodora-Mihaela Iconomescu
Laurențiu-Gabriel Talaghir
Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation model
Frontiers in Public Health
social support
physical literacy
healthy lifestyle beliefs
physical activity
adolescents
title Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation model
title_full Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation model
title_fullStr Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation model
title_full_unstemmed Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation model
title_short Relationships among social support, healthy lifestyle beliefs, physical literacy, and enjoyment of physical activity: a moderated mediation model
title_sort relationships among social support healthy lifestyle beliefs physical literacy and enjoyment of physical activity a moderated mediation model
topic social support
physical literacy
healthy lifestyle beliefs
physical activity
adolescents
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1617124/full
work_keys_str_mv AT mehmetakifyucekaya relationshipsamongsocialsupporthealthylifestylebeliefsphysicalliteracyandenjoymentofphysicalactivityamoderatedmediationmodel
AT sinanugras relationshipsamongsocialsupporthealthylifestylebeliefsphysicalliteracyandenjoymentofphysicalactivityamoderatedmediationmodel
AT ahmetenessagin relationshipsamongsocialsupporthealthylifestylebeliefsphysicalliteracyandenjoymentofphysicalactivityamoderatedmediationmodel
AT arifcetin relationshipsamongsocialsupporthealthylifestylebeliefsphysicalliteracyandenjoymentofphysicalactivityamoderatedmediationmodel
AT teodoramihaelaiconomescu relationshipsamongsocialsupporthealthylifestylebeliefsphysicalliteracyandenjoymentofphysicalactivityamoderatedmediationmodel
AT laurentiugabrieltalaghir relationshipsamongsocialsupporthealthylifestylebeliefsphysicalliteracyandenjoymentofphysicalactivityamoderatedmediationmodel