School-aged. Quality of Physical Education. Physical Literacy. Health-related Indicators.

Introduction: The school environment is a dynamic setting that reflects social, technological, and educational changes over time. Physical education (PE) remains the most common opportunity for promoting physical activity among children within the school environment. Quality of physical education (QPE) is essential not only for fostering physical literacy, but also for supporting psychosocial wellbeing, academic achievement, and the adoption of healthy and active lifestyles across the lifespan. As schools continuously evolve in response to social, technological, and educational changes, PE must adapt to ensure it is engaging, and developmentally meaningful. This contribution presents part of the REFRESH project, specifically Work Package 4 (WP4), which focuses on assessing physical literacy, psychomotor, emotional, cognitive, and social competencies, body composition, and other health-related indicators among pupils from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Aim: The aim of this contribution is to present the study protocol and measurement methodology applied within the WP4 of the REFRESH project. Methods: This is a prospective longitudinal study with a two-year follow-up. The research sample includes pupils from 4th and 5th grades of primary schools, their one parent, and teachers. Schools are randomly selected taking into account their size, location within the Moravian-Silesian Region (Czechia), and socioeconomic context. Measurements on pupils are carried out over two school days. The planned sample size is N=600 pupils. We build on the scoring principles of movement literacy in 4 domains. 1) Physical competence are assessed using questionnaires administered on paper Physical Literacy in Children Questionnaire (Barnett, 2020), and motor tests Canadian Agility and Movement Skills Assessment (Longmuir, 2017); 2) Daily Behavior monitored by ActivPal 4 device is worn on the right thigh for seven consecutive days, and Children’s Self-Report Social Skills Scale questionnaire (Danielson & Phelps, 2003), Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (Cuberek, 2021), Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (Inchley, 2023); 3) Knowledge and understanding are assessed using questionnaires Perceived Movement Skill Competence in Children (Barnett, 2015); 4) Motivation and confidence are assessed using questionnaire Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (Cocca, 2022), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Benda, 2017), Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for Children (Angold & Costello, 1987), Sport Climate Questionnaire (Deci, 2001). Other health-related measures include HRV, recorded during 10 minutes in a supine position, with 5 minutes analyzed using Bittium Faros 180 and Kubios HRV Premium. Computerized Flanker Task, Set Shifting, and N-Back Task (NIH Examiner battery) assess cognitive function. Body composition is assessed by InBody BSM 270 (Biospace, South Korea) and body height by Tanita stadiometer. Results: The proposed interdisciplinary approach demonstrates strong potential for comprehensive evaluation of QPE and factors influencing children’s health. Integrating physiological, cognitive, and psychosocial indicators will provide a deeper understanding of the relationships between PE instruction, physical activity, and pupils’ wellbeing. Conclusion: The presented measurement protocol offers a comprehensive framework for assessing multiple dimensions of children’s health and the quality of PE. The collected data may serve schools, researchers, and policy makers in identifying risk factors and developing effective interventions, particularly for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Funding: REFRESH project (No. CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000048), co-funded by the European Union.