[Validity study of the "Physical Activity Checklist" in children]

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Accurate measurement of physical activity in children is crucial for public health.
• The Physical Activity Checklist (PAC) is a tool used to quantify physical activity.
• Cross-cultural adaptation is necessary to ensure the validity of measurement tools in different populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the concurrent validity and operational equivalence of the cross-culturally adapted Physical Activity Checklist Interview in Brazilian school children.
• To determine if the adapted PAC is a reliable tool for assessing physical activity in children aged 7-10 years.

Main Methods:

• A cross-cultural adaptation of the Physical Activity Checklist Interview was performed.
• 118 school children (7-10 years) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, participated.
• Concurrent validity was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient against accelerometer data.
• Operational equivalence was evaluated based on interview duration and participant feedback.

Main Results:

• Correlation coefficients between the PAC and accelerometer ranged from 0.34 to 0.40.
• The PAC tended to overestimate moderate to vigorous physical activity compared to accelerometers.
• Children's time estimation ability was a limitation, with 24.8% of interviews showing poor or fair results.

Conclusions:

• The cross-culturally adapted Physical Activity Checklist demonstrates acceptable concurrent validity and operational equivalence.
• The findings support the appropriateness of the adapted PAC for use in Brazilian children.
• Further refinement may be needed to address children's time estimation accuracy.