Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40961330›Full record

ArticleJournal of strength and conditioning research2026

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

Chiara Theresia Maria Verheij, Vivian Meijers, Joanne Smith, Esther Hartman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of strength and conditioning research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Chiara Theresia Maria VerheijCentre for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Vivian Meijers
Joanne Smith
Esther Hartman

Funding

Personalised & Connected Health (PCH) Ecosystem OPSNN0229Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland OPSNN0229
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

abstractVerheij, 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.

Indexed as

Athletic PerformanceExercisePhysical FitnessSelf ConceptAccelerometryCardiorespiratory FitnessChildCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleSedentary Behaviorcardiorespiratory fitnessmusculoskeletal fitnessperceived competencephysical activitiessedentary behavior

Identifiers

PMID40961330
PMCPMC12688459

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.