An evaluation of questionnaires assessing physical activity levels in youth populations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to revise and organize according to recall time based criteria, questionnaires created and validated to assess the level of physical activity in children and adolescents, with the intention of enabling their proper understanding and subsequent use by nurses and health care professionals. In order to determine the questionnaires’ quality, their degree of reliability and validity was the main feature to be taken into account. Thirty-eight papers were retrieved and analyzed, 31 of which were aimed at designing and validating a questionnaire intended for physical activity (PA) level assessment in youth populations (four to 19 year olds). The most widely used questionnaires were those whose recall time spans from one to seven days. In general, all questionnaires were characterized by the use of pen-and-paper format and scarce utilization of new technologies. Based upon validity and reliability criteria, in order to assess PA level in children and adolescents, nurses should use the “Children’s Leisure Activities Study Survey” and the “Flemish Physical Activity Computer Questionnaire”, respectively. There is a need for the validation of these tools in other languages and cultures.