Objective and Subjective Physical Activity Assessment in Adolescents with Motor Difficulties

Background/Objectives: Motor difficulties due to developmental coordination disorder seem to exist in adolescence, affecting participation in physical activity. The purposes of the present study were, firstly, to identify motor difficulties and, secondly, to compare objective and subjective weekly physical activity between adolescents with and without motor difficulties. Methods: Sixty-nine adolescents who attended secondary school, were screened for motor difficulties, using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition. Then, a motor difficulties group (n = 8) and a group of peers without motor difficulties (n = 7) were formed. Objective physical activity was assessed using Yamax Power Walker EX-510 pedometers (Yamax, Kumamoto, Japan) in a single school week throughout the day, while subjective weekly self-reported physical activity was assessed by the "Godin-Shephard" Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire in both groups. Results: Approximately 7.2% of adolescents denoted significant motor difficulty, and 5.8% suggested that adolescents were "at risk" of having a motor difficulty and monitoring was required. No statistically significant differences were found in objective weekly physical activity between the groups. However, the daily number of steps recorded in both groups was found to be lower than those suggested by literature for health benefits. Moreover, significant differences were shown in the subjective self-reported weekly physical activity regarding participation in high intensity and total weekly physical activity. Adolescents with motor difficulties indicated lower scores, although the majority of both groups could be characterized as active, with substantial benefits for their health. Conclusions: Although there is evidence that motor difficulties are prevalent in adolescence, physical activity participation seemed not to have been affected; however, subjective and objective assessment indicated different results. Thus, it is suggested a combination of both methods in assessing physical activity in adolescents with and without motor difficulties in order to provide more robust results.