Validity and Reliability of the Pre-PAQ Questionnaire for Preschool-Age Physical Activity
Author Information
Author(s): Genevieve M Dwyer, Louise L Hardy, Jennifer K Peat, Louise A Baur
Primary Institution: University of Sydney
Hypothesis
Estimates of physical activity from Pre-PAQ data would demonstrate an adequate level of agreement with estimates of activity from accelerometer data.
Conclusion
Pre-PAQ has acceptable validity and reliability and appears promising as a population measure of activity behavior but requires further testing on a more broadly representative population.
Supporting Evidence
- Pre-PAQ had good agreement with light physical activity and vigorous physical activity.
- The reliability of Pre-PAQ ranged from 0.31 to 1.00 for continuous measures.
- Participants included preschool-age children who had not yet commenced formal schooling.
- 95% of families used the accelerometer for data collection.
Takeaway
The Pre-PAQ is a questionnaire that helps parents report how active their preschool children are at home, and it seems to work pretty well, but it needs more testing.
Methodology
Pre-PAQ was completed by 103 families and validated against accelerometry for 67 children, with reliability assessed using intraclass correlations and kappa values.
Potential Biases
Potential for over-reporting of activity levels by parents.
Limitations
The study used a convenience sample and findings may not be generalizable to non-English speaking groups.
Participant Demographics
Mean age of children was 3.8 years, 87% were Caucasian, and 53% were male.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
CI: 34.4, 39.7
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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