ArticleBMC public health2025
Relationships between perceived physical literacy and mental health in tertiary education students: a scoping review.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Standalone commercial exergame training to improve balance in older adults in care facilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of recent 10-year randomized controlled trials.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Association Between Physical Literacy and Quality of Life Among Japanese Adults: The Mediating Role of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physical Education as a Lifestyle Learning Environment for Neurobehavioral Well-Being: A Narrative Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Lifestyles, Self-Esteem and Mental Well-Being in Students Transitioning to Higher Education.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- AI-enabled learning analytics use relates to physical literacy and engagement in university PE via smart teaching and personalised feedback.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Enhancing the knowledge and understanding domain of physical literacy: instrument validation and a Kahoot-supported intervention in physical education.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Perceived physical literacy and academic procrastination among college students: a chain mediation model of self-control resource depletion and psychological resilience.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Physical literacy, sense of belonging in the sports environment, and college students' mental health: an analysis of relational paths based on differences in exercise groups.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivePhysical 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.
methodsAll 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.
resultsSeven 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.
conclusionDespite 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.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.