McNair Scholar 2019 - Yoojyim Moua

Measures of Physical Activity among Children

Abstract: Physical activity measurement tools are essential to evaluate and assess physical activity engagement levels of different populations, particularly children. The two main categories of measurement tools are objective and subjective. Depending on the type of assessment tool utilized, qualitative and/or quantitative data can be yield which can be useful to better understand physical activity behavior in children. Various instruments can also increase awareness of sedentary behaviors among individuals. The current project had two overarching goals. The first aim was to gain a better understanding of objective and subjective measures of physical activity utilized in children populations by describing and assessing pros and cons of readily used instruments (i.e., objective: pedometers and accelerometers; subjective: self-reported questionnaires/surveys, physical activity logs, and interviews). The second aim was to examine the use of physical activity logs and accelerometers in a sample of 7-11 year olds. Participants were asked to wear accelerometers during waking hours for 8 days. Simultaneously, participants completed a physical activity log that detailed when they wore the accelerometer, what activities they completed, and if they completed activities with an adult. Data from physical activity logs were cleaned and coded based on 71 activities from the Three-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR). Although analyzing the physical activity logs and accelerometer data exceeds the scope of the current project, the work completed is the first step in using qualitative, subjective data (physical activity logs) to provide contextual information to the quantitative, objective data (accelerometry). The combined use of the two physical activity assessment tools allows for a more comprehensive understanding of physical activity behavior of the 7-11 year olds involved in the study.