Adaptation and cognitive testing of physical activity measures for use with young, school-aged children and their parents

Abstract

Background Increasing physical activity is one way to address the public health concern of childhood obesity. Physical activity measures for use with young, school-aged children are limited. Methods This study adapted two existing activity measures for young children, specifically self-efficacy and 7-day recall of physical activity. Results Through expert review and cognitive testing, the scales were adapted for use with young, school-aged children (ages 7-9). This article describes how the measures were adapted to insure comprehension of the child selfreport measures. Reliability analyses provide support for their use in this population [Cronbach's alpha = 0.76 for the self-efficacy scale; moderate correlation between parent report and child report of child physical activity over the past week (rho = 0.52, P < 0.01]. Conclusions Suggestions are offered for researchers interested in using similar methods when designing and adapting physical activity measures for new populations. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012.