Associations of Physical Activity With Physical Literacy and Mental Wellbeing in Active Adults: A Mixed-Methods Study

This study explored how the volume and type of physical activity (PA) relate to physical literacy (PL) and mental wellbeing (MW) in active adults aged 30-59 years. A two-phase explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. Phase one involved an online survey of 201 adults (55% female) examining the influence of PA volume and type on PL and MW. In phase two, 14 survey participants (71% female) completed semi-structured interviews exploring reasons for participation in PA and its influence on PL. The interviews were transcribed and thematically coded. Significant positive relationships were found between volume of recreational PA with both perceived PL (r_s = .284, p < .001) and MW (r_s = .161, p = .022). Adults engaging in multiple weekly PA had higher PL scores (mean [SD]; 37.00 [4.15]) than those doing a single PA (35.65 [4.04], p = .021, Cohen's d = -0.34) but MW did not differ between groups. When grouped by PA type, participants involved in sports reported higher PL scores (p = .025, η² = 0.046), than those doing running/walking only (mean difference = 2.07, Tukey HSD p = .019), but not those undertaking strength activities (mean difference = 0.98, Tukey HSD p = .464). MW did not differ among PA type. Qualitative findings revealed active adults value PA for maintaining health and managing life challenges. Greater PA volume is linked to higher perceived PL and MW. Engaging in sports may increase perceived PL beyond running and walking.