On the Relationship Between Physical Fitness, Perceived Athletic Competence, and Physical Activity Intensity Levels in 8- to 12-Year-Old Children

Verheij, CTM, Meijers, V, Smith, J, and Hartman, E. On the relationship between physical fitness, perceived athletic competence, and physical activity intensity levels in 8- to 12-year-old children. J Strength Cond Res 40(1): e76-e84, 2026-This study investigated relationships between physical fitness (PF) and physical activity (PA) and the mediating role of perceived athletic competence (PAC). The cross-sectional study involved 180 typically developing children (45% boys; 10.0 ± 1.1 years). Cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness were measured with the European Test of Physical Fitness, PAC with the Self-Perception Profile for Children, and PA with accelerometry. Physical activity was analyzed separately for sedentary behavior, light PA, moderate PA (MPA), and vigorous PA (VPA). Path analysis in AMOS examined model 1, which assessed the relationship between PF and PA, and model 2, which evaluated the mediating role of PAC in the PF-PA relationship. The results from model 1 showed weak positive associations between both cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness with MPA and VPA ( β = 0.215-0.250, p < 0.05). When PAC was added as a mediator in model 2, the significant relationship between musculoskeletal fitness and VPA became nonsignificant, while the relationships between musculoskeletal fitness and MPA and between cardiorespiratory fitness and both MPA and VPA remained weak. In addition, PAC mediated the relationship between musculoskeletal fitness and MPA and VPA in the total population ( β = 0.064-0.076, p < 0.01) and in boys, while in girls, its mediating role was limited to VPA. In conclusion, interventions seeking to improve PA should focus on improving PF and PAC, as a higher cardiorespiratory fitness level might directly enhance children's ability to engage in MPA and VPA, and a higher musculoskeletal fitness level might stimulate engagement in MPA and VPA through PAC.