Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review
Abstract Background/objective Physical literacy (PL) is “the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life”. Recent evidence has shown that PL was associated with mental wellbeing in different...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21337-y |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841544247178690560 |
|---|---|
| author | Wilson Kin Chung Leung Raymond Kim Wai Sum Simon Ching Lam |
| author_facet | Wilson Kin Chung Leung Raymond Kim Wai Sum Simon Ching Lam |
| author_sort | Wilson Kin Chung Leung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background/objective Physical literacy (PL) is “the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life”. Recent evidence has shown that PL was associated with mental wellbeing in different populations, yet a comprehensive review examining the association between PL and mental health among tertiary education students was lacking. The aims of this scoping review were to rapidly map relevant evidence on the relationships between perceived PL and mental health in higher education students and to determine the feasibility and value of conducting a full systematic review in this research area. Methods All primary studies (observational and experimental) examining the associations between PL and mental health in college/university/undergraduate students were included. Seven electronic databases, namely PubMed, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, Medline, and SPORTDiscus, were searched from their inceptions through 30 September 2024. A narrative approach was adopted to synthesize results relevant to the study aims categorized based on mental health outcomes. Results Seven observational studies (n = 34,824) were included. Results showed that PL was positively correlated with better mental wellbeing, including greater quality of life, better subjective wellbeing, higher levels of life satisfaction, improved resilience, and greater compliance with sleep guideline, and negatively associated with psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) among university students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PL was also shown to buffer university students’ psychological distress, declines in quality of life and life satisfaction, as well as impaired sleep in the population. Conclusion Despite emerging research efforts to decipher the relationships between perceived PL and mental health in tertiary institution settings, further high-quality experimental studies are imperatively needed to guarantee the relevance of rigorous systemic reviews in the realm of university students’ mental health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d670d3cad01a42a98df7d3b9dc40a5bb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-d670d3cad01a42a98df7d3b9dc40a5bb2025-01-12T12:42:50ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-01-0125111010.1186/s12889-025-21337-yRelationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping reviewWilson Kin Chung Leung0Raymond Kim Wai Sum1Simon Ching Lam2School of Nursing, Tung Wah CollegeDepartment of Sports Science and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong KongSchool of Nursing, Tung Wah CollegeAbstract Background/objective Physical literacy (PL) is “the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life”. Recent evidence has shown that PL was associated with mental wellbeing in different populations, yet a comprehensive review examining the association between PL and mental health among tertiary education students was lacking. The aims of this scoping review were to rapidly map relevant evidence on the relationships between perceived PL and mental health in higher education students and to determine the feasibility and value of conducting a full systematic review in this research area. Methods All primary studies (observational and experimental) examining the associations between PL and mental health in college/university/undergraduate students were included. Seven electronic databases, namely PubMed, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, Medline, and SPORTDiscus, were searched from their inceptions through 30 September 2024. A narrative approach was adopted to synthesize results relevant to the study aims categorized based on mental health outcomes. Results Seven observational studies (n = 34,824) were included. Results showed that PL was positively correlated with better mental wellbeing, including greater quality of life, better subjective wellbeing, higher levels of life satisfaction, improved resilience, and greater compliance with sleep guideline, and negatively associated with psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) among university students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PL was also shown to buffer university students’ psychological distress, declines in quality of life and life satisfaction, as well as impaired sleep in the population. Conclusion Despite emerging research efforts to decipher the relationships between perceived PL and mental health in tertiary institution settings, further high-quality experimental studies are imperatively needed to guarantee the relevance of rigorous systemic reviews in the realm of university students’ mental health.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21337-yPhysical literacyFundamental movement skillsFundamental sports skillsYoung adultsPhysical competencePhysical activity |
| spellingShingle | Wilson Kin Chung Leung Raymond Kim Wai Sum Simon Ching Lam Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review BMC Public Health Physical literacy Fundamental movement skills Fundamental sports skills Young adults Physical competence Physical activity |
| title | Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review |
| title_full | Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review |
| title_fullStr | Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review |
| title_short | Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review |
| title_sort | relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students a scoping review |
| topic | Physical literacy Fundamental movement skills Fundamental sports skills Young adults Physical competence Physical activity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21337-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wilsonkinchungleung relationshipsbetweenperceivedphysicalliteracyandmentalhealthintertiaryeducationstudentsascopingreview AT raymondkimwaisum relationshipsbetweenperceivedphysicalliteracyandmentalhealthintertiaryeducationstudentsascopingreview AT simonchinglam relationshipsbetweenperceivedphysicalliteracyandmentalhealthintertiaryeducationstudentsascopingreview |