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Validity and reliability evidence of the physical activity level screening for preschoolers with developmental delays
Changwoong Park1, So-Yeun Kim2, Lauriece L Zittel2
1Department Kinesiology and Public Health Education, College of Education and Human Development, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
Insights
The Physical Activity Level Screening (PALS) tool demonstrates good reliability and moderate validity for assessing activity in preschoolers with developmental delays or disabilities. This screening method is a useful tool for this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Accurate assessment of physical activity is crucial for preschoolers with developmental delays or disabilities.
- Existing screening tools may lack sufficient psychometric evidence for this specific population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Physical Activity Level Screening (PALS) tool.
- To determine the reliability and validity of PALS in preschoolers with developmental delays and/or disabilities.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 30 preschoolers (mean age 54.9 months) with developmental delays/disabilities.
- Participants' physical activity was measured using the PALS tool and Actical accelerometers during active play.
- Intrarater and interrater reliability, along with validity, were assessed.
Main Results:
- High intrarater (87.5% agreement, ICC=0.99) and interrater (85.6% agreement, ICC=0.96) reliability were found for PALS.
- PALS demonstrated moderate correlation with Actical accelerometer data (r=0.67, P<0.01).
Conclusions:
- The Physical Activity Level Screening (PALS) tool exhibits strong reliability and acceptable validity for preschoolers with developmental delays or disabilities.
- PALS is a promising tool for assessing physical activity levels in this clinical population.
Abstract:
Psychometric properties of the physical activity level screening (PALS) for preschoolers with a developmental delay and/or a disability were examined in this study. The mean age of participants (16 boys and 14 girls) was 54.9 months (standard deviation, 10.4). Each participant wore one Actical accelerometer and was filmed for 20 min during the active play time. Intrarater and interrater reliability, and validity of the PALS data were examined. The proportion of agreement for intrarater was 87.5% and 85.6% for interrater reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.99 for intrarater and 0.96 for interrater. The PALS data showed moderate correlation with Actical data (r=0.67, P<0.01).
