Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
06:51
Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
Measuring and validating physical activity and sedentary behavior comparing a parental questionnaire to accelerometer
Bettina Bringolf-Isler1, Urs Mäder, Nicole Ruch
1Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Pediatric Exercise Science
|June 26, 2012
Summary
Accurate measurement of children's physical activity is difficult. Parent questionnaires show moderate agreement with objective measures but are influenced by age and social desirability, requiring age-specific designs and objective validation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Behavioral Science
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Accurate assessment of physical activity and sedentary behavior in children is crucial for public health.
- Parental questionnaires are commonly used but their validity compared to objective measures requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare parental questionnaire responses on children's physical activity and sedentary behavior with objective measurements.
- To analyze the influence of age, sex, and maternal education on the accuracy of parental reports.
Main Methods:
- 189 children aged 6-14 years participated.
- Parental responses to a physical activity and sedentary behavior questionnaire were compared with accelerometer data and 24-hour time activity diaries.
- Statistical analyses accounted for age, sex, and maternal education.
Main Results:
- Correlation coefficients between questionnaire reports and accelerometer-based physical activity were acceptable (up to r = .55).
- Age adjustment significantly reduced these correlations, indicating age-related biological and behavioral influences.
- Parents tended to under- or over-report activities in questionnaires compared to diaries, potentially due to social desirability.
Conclusions:
- Physical activity questionnaires for children need age-specific design and validation.
- Objective measurement methods should be combined with questionnaires for accurate assessment of children's physical activity and sedentary behavior.
