The Validity of an Online Tool for the Assessment of Physical Activity Behaviors in Youth

Hibbing, Paul; Devick, Rachel

The Validity of an Online Tool for the Assessment of Physical Activity Behaviors in Youth

File

HibbingPaul.pdf (638.56 KB)

Date

2014-04-15

Authors

Hibbing, Paul

Devick, Rachel

Organizational Units

Organizational Unit

Kinesiology

The Department of Kinesiology seeks to provide an ample knowledge of physical activity and active living to students both within and outside of the program; by providing knowledge of the role of movement and physical activity throughout the lifespan, it seeks to improve the lives of all members of the community. Its options for students enrolled in the department include: Athletic Training; Community and Public Health; Exercise Sciences; Pre-Health Professions; and Physical Education Teacher Licensure. The Department of Physical Education was founded in 1974 from the merger of the Department of Physical Education for Men and the Department of Physical Education for Women. In 1981 its name changed to the Department of Physical Education and Leisure Studies. In 1993 its name changed to the Department of Health and Human Performance. In 2007 its name changed to the Department of Kinesiology. Dates of Existence: 1974-present. Historical Names: Department of Physical Education (1974-1981), Department of Physical Education and Leisure Studies (1981-1993), Department of Health and Human Performance (1993-2007). Related Units: College of Human Sciences (parent college), College of Education (parent college, 1974 - 2005), Department of Physical Education for Women (predecessor) Department of Physical Education for Men

Series

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression

Iowa State University Conferences and Symposia

The Symposium provides undergraduates from all academic disciplines with an opportunity to share their research with the university community and other guests through conference-style oral presentations. The Symposium represents part of a larger effort of Iowa State University to enhance, support, and celebrate undergraduate research activity.

Though coordinated by the University Honors Program, all undergraduate students are eligible and encouraged to participate in the Symposium. Undergraduates conducting research but not yet ready to present their work are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the presentation process and students not currently involved in research are encouraged to attend the Symposium to learn about the broad range of undergraduate research activities that are taking place at ISU.

The first Symposium was held in April 2007. The 39 students who presented research and their mentors collectively represented all of ISU's Colleges: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate College. The event has grown to regularly include more than 100 students presenting on topics that span the broad range of disciplines studied at ISU.

Department

Kinesiology

Abstract

Accurate assessments of physical activity (PA) are needed to assess its benefits and promote it in the population. Self-report assessments are challenging in all ages, but particularly in youth, due to poorer recall and more sporadic activity patterns. The Youth Physical Activity Measurement Study (YPAMS) was designed to examine the efficacy of the Youth Activity Profile (YAP), a new online PA survey that uses context-related cues to facilitate accurate assessments of PA patterns in youth.

We tested an online version of the YAP against objective measures of activity obtained from a multi-sensor accelerometer, the SenseWear Armband (SWA). A total of 51 youth from grades 5, 7, and 9 wore a SWA for one week and completed the YAP at the end of the week. The results showed that survey scores were related with overall sedentary and activity patterns recorded during the preceding week. Participants reporting higher scores on items related to PA had more minutes of measured PA as indicated by the SWA, and participants reporting higher scores on items related to sedentary activities had fewer minutes. This study provided promising advances for the assessment of PA in youth. However, some of the individual YAP items need further refinement.