Lifelong physical activities: conceptual definition, participation rates and importance of motor skill competence

Physical inactivity has been described as a global pandemic and the majority of young people are not sufficiently active. Adolescence is a time where there is a noted decline in physical activity levels and inactivity during this life stage may have consequences for current and future health status. Competency in a variety of motor skills has been noted as protective factor against physical activity decline. However, a myopic focus on fundamental motor skills may fail to reflect the diversity of motor skills needed by young people to be active across the lifespan. Understanding the motor skills which may be most important for adolescents may require examining participation rates in specific physical activities. Identification of the motor skills used in popular physical activity pursuits will then allow for the creation of a valid and reliable motor skill battery. While many motor skill batteries exist for children, few have been designed for adolescent populations. For those that do exist to assess adolescent motor competence, fundamental motor skills or competence in a singular skill type is targeted. Thus, an evidence gap remains for the development and assessment of a motor skill battery designed specifically for adolescents that accounts for skills used in a variety of lifelong physical activity pursuits. This thesis addresses the noted gap in the literature related to the assessment of motor competence in adolescents. The information within this thesis are focused on understanding: i) what adolescents do for physical activity. ; ii) what motor skills are needed for these activities. ; and iii) how to assess these motor skills. The major contribution of this thesis was the creation of the Lifelong Physical Activity Skills Battery. This thesis highlighted the dearth of motor skill batteries designed specifically for adolescents. Skills included in the Lifelong Physical Activity Skills Battery were selected from the specific physical activity choices of individuals that were popular in adolescence and adulthood. These motor skills were derived primarily from lifelong physical activities, as opposed to team sports. The final measure includes eight motor skills; the run, grapevine, squat, push-up, upward dog, warrior one, tennis forehand and golf swing were included. Overall, adolescents had low levels of motor competence. However, it was possible to determine the content and initial predictive validity, as well as the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Lifelong Physical Activity Skills Battery. Further analysis indicated that competence in lifelong physical activity skills was aligned with levels of health-related fitness including cardiorespiratory fitness, flexibility, muscular fitness, but not with weight status or objective physical activity. Additional work utilising the Lifelong Physical Activity Skills Battery is important for the assessment of motor competence in different, more culturally diverse populations. This body of work may be useful for providing evidence which may influence physical education curriculum and physical activity promotion and intervention strategies.