Physical activity capability, opportunity, motivation and behavior in youth settings: theoretical framework to guide physical activity leader interventions

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© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Table 1. Components of the COM-B framework of physical activity across levels of youth settings.

Components	Youth Setting	Youth Setting Leader(s)	Attending Youth
Capabilities	Collective skills, knowledge, and confidence to promote the physical activity of attending youth participants	Skills, knowledge, and confidence to schedule, provide, and promote enjoyable physically active sessions; Skills and confidence for co-participation	Skills, knowledge, and confidence to participate in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activities
Opportunities	Physical, human, and economic resources available to facilitate physical activity within programming; culture and social norms of setting	In charge of a group of children, having access to necessary space, equipment, facilities, and time to lead a physically active session; recognizing times or places that are conducive to youth being more active	Access to settings, programs, and sessions where physical activity is available, encouraged, supported, and equipped
Motivations	Collective interests, priorities, and values of staff, parents, and participants; vision and mission of the organization; priorities and budget of organization	Sense of personal and professional responsibility; inherent enjoyment; benefits of promoting physical activity; meeting children’s needs; improving management and youth behavior	Enjoyment (ideally); self-determined motivation fostered by basic psychological needs being met; appreciating the many benefits of physical activity
Behaviors	Hiring and training staff who can deliver enjoyable physically active programming; creating or revising policies, practices, or schedules that promote physical activity	Scheduling active recreation sessions; finding ways to incorporate more movement; developing physically active routines; monitoring youth physical activity levels, improving quality and efficiency of physical activity	Participation in physically active sessions; achieving physical activity guidelines

Table 2. Setting-specific intervention design considerations for capabilities, opportunities, and motivations to increase physical activity behaviors within the setting.

	Youth sport	Schools – physical education (PE)	Schools– within class time	Schools– break times (recess)	Community-based programs	Out-of-school hours care (OSHC)
Primary role of the youth setting	Provide sport coaching typically dedicated to one sport for a season	Provide physical education (PE) guided by the curriculum of the relevant education authority	Provide education guided by curriculum of the relevant education authority	Provide a supervised break for free-time play activities during recess and lunch break periods	Provide supervised activities relevant to the goals of the Organization (e.g. scouts, religious groups, etc.)	Provide supervised activities and care outside school hours and during school vacation/holidays
Considerations for interventions addressing capabilities	Academic or formal training qualifications are often not mandatory Coaches may range from novice to expert, experienced coaches Coaches may not have planning or management skills to conduct efficient practices	Teachers hold tertiary-level qualifications in teaching and learning PE may not be taught by specialist physical educators, especially in primary/elementary settings	Teachers hold tertiary-level qualifications in teaching and learning Classroom teachers likely do not hold specialist qualifications in PE	The personnel undertaking the supervisory role varies across countries and districts, including school teachers, paid assistants and volunteers Teachers hold tertiary-level qualifications in teaching and learning Classroom teachers likely do not hold specialist qualifications in PE Academic or formal training qualifications are often not mandatory for recess assistants and volunteers	Academic or formal training qualifications are often not mandatory	Academic or formal training qualifications are often not mandatory
Considerations for interventions addressing opportunities	Core group of children present for the set duration of the training session or game Coaches often lead children through structured, planned, compulsory activities with little, if any, discretion (choice) Team sizes can influence opportunity to be active (e.g. group sizes during training, selection to play games, team rotations during games)	Core group of students present for the duration of the lesson Teachers lead children through structured, planned, compulsory activities with little, if any, discretion (choice) Class sizes can influence opportunities to be active	Core group of students present for the duration of the lesson Teachers lead children through structured, planned, compulsory activities with little, if any, discretion (choice) Class sizes can influence opportunities to be active	Large group of children with a wide age range present across a variety of different play environments Teachers provide a supervisory and supporting role Children have discretion (choice) over their activity with both sedentary and physically active options available Duration of recess and lunch breaks vary Play spaces vary in size and quality	Core group of children present for the duration of the session Leaders lead children through structured, planned, compulsory activities with little, if any, discretion (choice) Play spaces vary in size and quality	Transient number of attendees within and across sessions Large group of children with a wide age range present across a variety of different play spaces Play spaces vary in size and quality Children have discretion (choice) of activity with both sedentary and physically active options available OSHC leaders provide a supervisory and supporting role
Considerations for interventions addressing motivations	Team culture or coaching orientation may focus more on performance than participation Coaches may favor pedagogical practices focused on drills and direct instruction (i.e. ‘training form’) rather than game play to improve skills (i.e. ‘playing form’)	Some lessons may require focus on knowledge (theory) or sports/recreational activities requiring light-intensity activity Teachers may favor pedagogical practices focused on drills and direct instruction (i.e. ‘training form’) rather than game play to improve skills (i.e. ‘playing form’) There is mixed support for guidelines regarding the amount of MVPA recommended during PE lessons	Physical activity may not be valued as an important behavior within class time There are competing demands during class time, with a focus on academic skills such as literacy and numeracy often viewed as conflicting with physical activity time Teachers may lack the skills and confidence to incorporate physical activity into other curriculum areas	Teachers or leaders may lack the skills and confidence to support children to be physically active Concerns over behavior management and safety risks may Influence teacher’s behavior	Physical activity may not be valued as an important behavior within the club or organization Leaders may lack the skills and confidence to incorporate physical activity into their sessions	OSCH leaders may lack the skills and confidence to support children to be physically active There are variations in presence and nature of physical activity policies in districts or individual centers

Figure 1. Multi-level COM-B theoretical framework for physical activity promotion in youth settings.

Note: Capability, opportunity, and motivation can be seen as setting-level features for the organization, which then influence the levels of leaders and attending youth. The COM-B components are hypothesized to be multidimensional composites within levels of setting, leader, and youth, so the plural form of each is used. Along with organizational influences, physical activity leader behaviors serve as key determinants of the physical activity levels of attending youth. The physical activity behaviors of attending youth will be the result of their own capabilities, opportunities, and motivations, where these components have been influenced by the behaviors of adult gatekeepers within the setting. Many relationships between COM-B components are reciprocal: Behaviors influence capabilities, opportunities, and motivations, and the COM-B components of youth have influence on the organization and youth setting physical activity leader behaviors.