Reliability and validity of a physical activity questionnaire in children

Background: valid and appropriate assessment of physical activity in children is still needed. Aim: to determine the testretest reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the Questionnaire l'Activite Physique en Altitude Chez les Enfants. Methods: Population: 6- to 9-year-old children were recruited in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Reliability: questionnaire was administered twice, 3 weeks apart. Intraclass correlation coefficients and 95% confidence interval calculated. Validity: comparison between the questionnaire and pedometer. Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated. BlandAltman method was used to detect potential bias. Results: a fair-to-good reliability was found, with the highest values for running during breaks at school and total active time during weekdays. No significant difference between the two measurements was observed. The validity was acceptable for total active time during weekdays. Discussion: for the first time, a questionnaire was identified as very promising to assess physical activity in Arabic children.