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Questionnaires Measuring Physical Activity in Clinical Pediatric Populations: A Systematic Review
Si Min Lew1, Christal K L Hewlett1, Daniel Anderson1
1Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA,Australia.
Insights
Validated questionnaires for assessing physical activity (PA) in children with chronic health conditions are currently lacking. This gap hinders the identification of children not meeting PA guidelines and addressing factors contributing to inactivity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Exercise Science
- Clinical Assessment
Background:
- Physical activity (PA) is crucial for managing childhood chronic health conditions.
- Questionnaires are a common tool for monitoring PA and adherence to clinical guidelines.
- Accurate PA assessment is vital for identifying at-risk children and intervening effectively.
Approach:
- A systematic literature review was performed using major databases (ProQuest, MEDLINE, Scopus, SPORTDiscus) from January 2010 to August 2020.
- Studies involving children aged 3-18 with chronic health conditions, using validated PA questionnaires, were included.
- The modified COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) were used to assess study quality and risk of bias.
Key Points:
- Ten articles, representing 4,478 initially extracted references, met the inclusion criteria.
- Six distinct questionnaires were identified across the eligible studies.
- None of the reviewed questionnaires demonstrated adequate efficacy for measuring PA in pediatric clinical populations.
Conclusions:
- There is a significant deficiency in validated questionnaires for assessing physical activity in children with chronic health conditions.
- This lack of appropriate measurement tools impedes the identification of children not meeting PA guidelines.
- The inability to accurately identify inactive children limits opportunities for targeted interventions and support.
Purpose:
Regular physical activity (PA) is a cornerstone therapy for many childhood chronic health conditions, and questionnaires offer a simple method for monitoring PA and identifying children who do not meet clinical practice guidelines. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine which questionnaires are most efficacious for assessing PA in children with chronic health conditions.
Methods:
Systematic literature searches were conducted through ProQuest, MEDLINE, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus from January 2010 to August 2020 to identify studies that measured PA with a validated questionnaire in children and adolescents aged 3-18 years old with chronic health conditions. In eligible studies, the validity and reliability of questionnaires were identified, and the modified COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments checklist and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations were used to assess the quality and strength of evidence and risk of bias.
Results:
Four thousand four hundred and seventy-eight references were extracted, and 10 articles were included for review. From 10 eligible studies, 6 questionnaires were identified, none of which adequately measure PA in clinical pediatric populations.
Conclusion:
Questionnaires to adequately measure PA in children with chronic conditions are lacking. This compromises the identification of those who do not meet PA guidelines, limiting the opportunity to identify and address factors contributing to low PA levels.
