Beyond Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA): Why Physical Activity Surveillance May Be Failing Culturally...

Physical inactivity among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) girls in Australia is typically framed as a participation problem. However, emerging evidence suggests it is equally a measurement problem. Current surveillance systems rely heavily on self-report tools, sport-centric participation models and generic moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) thresholds that may underestimate meaningful movement exposure whilst failing to detect genuine developmental risk. Longitudinal data show that CALD girls accumulate the lowest MVPA across adolescence, yet these patterns may reflect both true inactivity and under-recognition of culturally grounded movement practices. Self-report instruments often overlook transport-related activity, household responsibilities, caregiving-related movement and traditional dance forms involving repeated loading, muscular endurance, balance and multidirectional movement. These activities carry strength-related and musculoskeletal relevance but remain largely invisible within mainstream surveillance frameworks. Accelerometry improves objectivity but is still interpreted through MVPA-centric cut-points that do not capture force production, impact loading or mechanical competence-key components of adolescent development and long-term participation capacity. Reframing physical inactivity among CALD women as a downstream consequence of early-life exclusion from movement systems shifts the focus from participation to prevention. Improved measurement-through raw accelerometry, machine-learning-based activity recognition and ecological momentary assessment-offers a pathway to more accurate surveillance and more equitable policy responses. CALD girls are not only underrepresented in physical activity systems; they are often under-measured within them. Addressing surveillance blind spots is essential for designing prevention-focused, culturally responsive, developmentally meaningful interventions.