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 < .01) correlated with the CSA. Girls ( r = 40; p < .01) had higher correlations than boys (0.28; p < .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 < .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.