Testing the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with Partial Least Squares Second-Order Latent Constructs

Abstract

We tested the Youth Physical Activity Promotion (YPAP) framework on Romanian students in order to identify actionable determinants to support participation in physical activity. Our sample consisted of 665 responses to an online survey, with participants aged 18–23 (mean = 19 years); 70% were women. We used the partial least squares algorithm to estimate the relationships between students’ behavior and possible predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results indicate that all the theoretical dimensions of YPAP (predisposing, enabling and reinforcing) have a positive and significant impact on physical activity, with two mediating mechanisms expressed as predisposing factors: able and worth. Unlike previous research, we used second-order latent constructs, unveiling a particular structure for the enabling dimension that only includes sport competence, fitness and skills, but not the environmental factors.