Validation of a Physical Activity Self-Report Questionnaire in a Portuguese Pediatric Population

The goal of this study was to validate an adapted version of the “weekly checklist” in a Portuguese population. The validity was assessed by comparing self-reports against the Computer Science and Application, Inc (CSA) monitor. The sample comprised 109 children (boys, n = 42; girls, n = 67), aged 8 to 16 years old, All subjects were volunteers from local schools (Oporto region). The weekly activity checklist was modestly r = 0.30) but significantly (p < 0.01) correlated with the CSA. Girls (r = 0.40, p < 0.01) had higher correlations than boys (r = 0.28; p < 0.05). When the values were analyzed by age, excluding the young subjects (< 10 years old), the correlation values were slightly higher (r = 0.38, p < 0.01) The Portuguese version of the “weekly activity checklist” had similar reliability and validity as the original version. The measure appears to have lower validity in 8- and 9-year-old children.