Development of a Physical Literacy Assessment Model for Older Adults Aged 60 Years and Above: A Modified Delphi Study

Despite the emerging interest in assessing physical literacy (PL) in different cultures and populations, there has been no consensus concerning the assessment for older adults in China. Therefore, this study aimed to establish consensus using the PL assessment model for Chinese older adults.

Three-round modified Delphi study. An initial theoretical PL assessment model for Chinese older adults was developed based on literature review. Three rounds of Delphi surveys with experts were conducted to determine domains, subdomains, and elements in the assessment model. The analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the specific weights of the components within the model.

Thirty-three experts participated in Round 1, and 30 (response rate 91%) and 25 of them (response rate 76%) finished Round 2 and Round 3, respectively. Consensus was gained for six domains, 10 subdomains, and 47 elements. These experts concurred on using both self-reports and wearable devices for measuring daily steps, tacking and recording moderate to vigorous physical activity, and sedentary behavior. Specific weights for the six domains of physical, affective, cognitive, behavioral, social, and dynamic environmental were 0.211, 0.186, 0.150, 0.202, 0.142, and 0.109, respectively.

This study established a model that can be used to assess PL in Chinese older adults. Further research is needed to evaluate the psychometric properties of this model before its application.