Basic self-reports as an indicator of physical activity

Abstract

Introduction: Basic self-reports of physical activity (PA) has been applied by clinicians to identify whether adolescents with asthma are physically active. Aim: To investigate whether basic self-reports of PA in adolescents with and without asthma can be used as an indicator of PA with objective measures as criterion. Methods: One-hundred-and sixty (99 boys) adolescents (mean age 13.5 yrs) with (n=88) and without (n=72) asthma completed recordings of PA for three consecutive week-days and one weekend-day using the SenseWear TM Pro 2 Armband (BodyMedia Inc., Pittsburgh, PA). Cut off point defining moderate to vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) was 3 metabolic equivalents. Self-reported PA was assessed by interviews, asking the adolescents how many times/week they participated in PA accompanied with breathlessness and sweat as well as hours/week they participated in organized sports. Linear regression analysis was conducted to assess association of self-reports with hours/day in MVPA. Results: All adolescents participated in MVPA above recommendations (mean 5.17 hours/day). There were no differences in self-reported PA or objectively recorded MVPA in adolescents with and without asthma. In bivariate analysis; 6-7 times/week in PA ( b =1.81 (95% Confidence Interval; 0.99, 2.62), p = b =0.23 (0.13, 0.36), p = Conclusions: Hours/week participating in sports was an indicator of MVPA. Due to limited explained variance and high levels of MVPA among participants, future studies investigating basic self-reports should also include adolescents with low MVPA.