Physical literacy, fitness and health in children

ISRCTN	ISRCTN49955797
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN49955797
Sponsor	Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
Funder	Sveučilište u Splitu

Submission date: 14/01/2026
Registration date: 15/01/2026
Last edited: 15/01/2026

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Ongoing
Condition category: Other

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Plain English summary of protocol not provided at time of registration.

Contact information

Prof Damir Sekulic
Principal investigator, Public, Scientific

Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split
Split
21000
Croatia

ORCID ID	0000-0001-8022-7886
Phone	+385912504664
Email	damir.sekulic@kikfst.eu

Study information

Primary study design	Interventional
Allocation	Randomized controlled trial
Masking	Blinded (masking used)
Control	Active
Assignment	Parallel
Purpose	Prevention, Treatment
Participant information sheet	48839_PIS.pdf
Scientific title	Physical literacy, fitness, and health status in school-age children
Study acronym	PLFIT
Study objectives	To evaluate the effects of targeted physical literacy based education on physical activity, physical fitness, and body composition in school-age children
Ethics approval(s)	Approved 09/09/2024, Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb (Horvacanski zavoj 15, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia; +38513658666; dekanat@kif.hr), ref: 93/2024
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Physical activity and health status in school-age children
Intervention	The educational intervention, focused on physical literacy (PL), will be implemented within the existing physical education (PE) schedule for the experimental group over a 12-week period. During this time, students will participate in three PE sessions weekly, amounting to a total of 36 lessons. The intervention will incorporate 12 short, original educational videos (3–4 minutes each), each addressing a key topic related to PL or physical health. The video content will be organized into the following themes: two videos covering core PL principles (e.g., movement motivation, confidence, and understanding), three focused on cardiorespiratory fitness, five targeted motor abilities (strength, power, coordination, flexibility), and two addressed general health habits, including nutrition.
Intervention type	Behavioural
Primary outcome measure(s)	Body composition measured using body fat percentage (bioimpedance analysis) at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May) Body composition measured using skeletal muscle mass (bioimpedance analysis) at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May) Cardiovascular endurance measured using multilevel fitness test at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May) Abdominal strength measured using sit-ups test at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May) Upper body strength measured using push-ups test at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May) Directly measured physical activity measured using accelerometry at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May) Indirectly measured physical activity measured using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) questionnaire at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May)
Key secondary outcome measure(s)	Physical literacy measured using the Play self questionnaire at pre- (September) post- (December) retention (May)
Completion date	01/03/2026

Eligibility

Participant type(s)
Age group	Mixed
Lower age limit	7 Years
Upper age limit	18 Years
Sex	All
Target sample size at registration	150
Total final enrolment	130
Key inclusion criteria	Overal health status which allow regular participation in physical education (as defined by official school regulations in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Key exclusion criteria	1. Health issues which prevent children from participating in physical education 2. < 80% of participation in physical education lessons during the study course
Date of first enrolment	16/09/2024
Date of final enrolment	01/06/2025

Locations

Countries of recruitment

Croatia

Study participating centres

Results and Publications

Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type	Details	Date created	Date added	Peer reviewed?	Patient-facing?
Participant information sheet	Parental informed consent form in Croatian		15/01/2026	No	Yes

Additional files

48839_PIS.pdf: Parental informed consent form in Croatian

Editorial Notes

15/01/2026: Study’s existence confirmed by the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Croatia.