Mediation role of cardiorespiratory fitness on association of physical activity and physical literacy among 8-12 years old children: the PAK-IPPL cross-sectional study

The effect of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on the relationship of physical activity (PA), and physical literacy (PL) in 8-12 Pakistani children are largely unknown. Therefore, this study aims to examine the mediating role of CRF in the relationship between PA and PL in this demographic. This cross-sectional study involved 1,360 children aged 8-12 (mean age = 10.00, SD = 1.41 years) from 85 higher secondary schools in South Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected during the 2020-2021 academic year using the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy-2 (CAPL-2) protocol to assess physical activity (PA), Body Mass Index (BMI), and PL levels. CRF was measured using the PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) test. Descriptive statistics, independent samples -tests, Chi-squared tests, and Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS) were used for age and sex-specific CAPL-2 scoring. Associations among components were evaluated through Pearson's correlation, multivariate logistic regression, and mediation analyses. The study revealed that boys had significantly higher scores in CRF, PA, and PL across all age groups compared to girls (