Validation of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children

Abstract

Two studies assessed the validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), a 7-day recall that assesses general moderate to vigorous physical activity levels during the school year. The first study, involving 89 elementary school students in Grades 4–8, investigated convergent, divergent, and construct validity. The PAQ-C was moderately related to an activity rating ( r = .63), week summation of 24-hr moderate to vigorous activity recalls ( r = .53), a teacher’s rating of physical activity ( r = .45), and perceptions of athletic competence ( r = .48). As expected, the PAQ-C was not related to perceptions of behavioral conduct. The second study, involving 97 elementary school students, investigated convergent and construct validity. The PAQ-C was moderately related to an activity rating ( r = .57), the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire ( r = .41), a Caltrac motion sensor ( r = .39), a 7-day physical activity recall interview ( r = .46) and a step test of fitness ( r = .28). The PAQ-C validity coefficients were as high as or greater than the 7-day recall interview. These two studies support the validity of the PAQ-C as a method of assessing older children’s general physical activity levels.