The Development of a Physical Literacy Instrument for Rural Elderly

Objectives: This study aims to develop a questionnaire to assess physical literacy, including the ability to engage in physical activities, confidence, knowledge, and motivation, among elderly individuals in rural South Korea.Methods: A literature review and interviews with rural elderly individuals were conducted to develop the questionnaire. To evaluate reliability and validity, 260 elderly individuals aged 65 and above were recruited using snowball sampling. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, while construct and criterion validity were evaluated through exploratory factor analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis.Results: The developed physical literacy questionnaire consisted of 20 items. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors based on an eigenvalue of 1.0: motivation (7 items), physical competence (2 items), confidence (3 items), and knowledge and understanding (8 items). Analysis results showed that for each unit increase in motivation scores, the likelihood of engaging in physical activity increased by 2.14 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-3.30). Similarly, it increased by 1.46 (95% CI, 1.17-1.81) for physical competence, 1.41 (95% CI, 1.06-1.87) for confidence, and 1.49 (95% CI, 1.09-2.03) for knowledge and understanding. The cronbach’s alpha for the overall internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire was 0.94.Conclusions: This study developed the questionnaire is valid and reliable for assessing physical literacy among rural elderly individuals and can help identify their tendencies and abilities to maintain an active lifestyle in old age.