From grit to flourishing: physical literacy's mediating role in enhancing well-being among college students with obesity.

Objective: To investigate whether physical literacy mediates the relationship between grit and well-being among college students with obesity.

Methods: A total of 385 students with obesity were recruited. Participants completed validated questionnaires measuring grit, physical literacy, and well-being. Mediation analyses were performed to estimate indirect effects and generate bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: Grit was positively associated with physical literacy, and physical literacy was positively associated with well-being. Physical literacy partially mediated the relationship between grit and well-being, with the indirect effect accounting for 26.32% of the total effect (indirect effect = 0.20, 95% CI [0.09-0.31]). In a parallel mediation model analyzing the subdimensions of physical literacy, the "interaction with the environment" emerged as the strongest mediator (indirect effect = 0.15, 95% CI [0.10-0.21]), accounting for 19.74% of the total effect. The indirect effects through "motivation" and "confidence and physical competence" were also significant but accounted for smaller proportions of the total effect (6.58% and 5.26%, respectively).

Conclusions: These findings serve as an initial step in understanding how physical literacy, particularly the ability to interact with the environment, partially mediates the relationship between grit and well-being among college students with obesity. Future interventional research aiming to enhance physical literacy-especially environmental engagement-is needed to confirm whether it can amplify the positive impact of grit on well-being. A multifaceted approach that fosters both psychological traits and physical competencies may prove beneficial in improving the psychological and physical health of this population.