Using physical literacy to understand physical activity after ACL reconstruction: A qualitative descriptive analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To examine perceptions of physical literacy and physical activity (PA) and explore how components of physical literacy interact with PA participation in young adults with a history of ACLR. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive analysis with a positive/negative deviance framework. SETTING: Research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five young adults (ages 18-35) with a history of ACLR completed one-week of PA observation using an accelerometer. The positive/negative deviance framework identified ten participants to complete semi-structured interviews based on their PA participation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Weekly moderate-to-vigorous PA. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted in-person. A collaborative analysis process was used to identify themes and subthemes from participant interviews. RESULTS: The semi-structured interviews identified four higher-order themes: Barriers to PA; Facilitators to PA; Knowledge influences recovery and PA after sport; and Establishing a routine for PA. Within these, 12 sub-themes were identified in which participants discussed the roles of motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge for PA participation after ACLR. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that individuals with a history of ACLR may benefit from additional education and support throughout ACLR recovery and as they transition from organized sport into lifelong PA engagement.