The benefits of physical literacy for human flourishing: A machine learning–based exploration of adolescents

Abstract

Physical literacy is a multidimensional concept considered fundamental for lifelong participation in physical activity. Although theories on the relationship between physical literacy and human flourishing have been proposed, no comprehensive study of this relationship in adolescents has been found. This study aimed to predict human flourishing variables (physical activity, physical health, mental health, and academic performance) that correlate highly with adolescents' physical literacy. A sample of 1004 primary and middle school students was recruited and six machine learning algorithms (decision tree, random forest, AdaBoost, CatBoost, LightGBM, and k-nearest neighbours) were used. Random forest predicted physical activity, physical health, and mental health in the overall sample, with an accuracy of 53 percent, 86 per cent, and 91.7 percent, respectively; AdaBoost predicted academic performance with an accuracy of 98 per cent. Overall sample and sex subgroup predictions were generally consistent, with “sense of self and self-control” and “self-expression and communication with others” as the most significant variables. Family-type subgroup analysis results varied greatly, suggesting that one-child families should focus on “knowledge and understanding,” whereas multi-child families should focus on “self-expression and communication with others.” Awareness of adolescents' underlying characteristics may yield greater benefits when intervening through physical literacy.