Abstract
The Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS) is a multicenter project for assessing the lifestyle habits of Arab adolescents. This study reports on the convergent validity of the physical activity questionnaire used in ATLS against an electronic pedometer. Participants were 39 males and 36 females randomly selected from secondary schools, with a mean age of 16.1 ± 1.1 years. ATLS self-reported questionnaire was validated against the electronic pedometer for three consecutive weekdays. Mean steps counts were 6,866 ± 3,854 steps/day with no significant gender difference observed. Questionnaire results showed no significant gender differences in time spent on total or moderate-intensity activities. However, males spent significantly more time than females on vigorous-intensity activity. The correlation of steps counts with total time spent on all activities by the questionnaire was 0.369. Relationship of steps counts was higher with vigorous-intensity (r = 0.338) than with moderate-intensity activity (r = 0.265). Pedometer steps counts showed higher correlations with time spent on walking (r = 0.350) and jogging (r = 0.383) than with the time spent on other activities. Active participants, based on pedometer assessment, were also most active by the questionnaire. It appears that ATLS questionnaire is a valid instrument for assessing habitual physical activity among Arab adolescents.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization, the most important risk factors of non-communicable diseases in the Arab countries include high blood pressure, high concentrations of cholesterol in the blood, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight or obesity, physical inactivity and tobacco use [1]
The present study found fair and significant validity coefficients between pedometer-determined steps counts and total time spent on activity based on Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS) physical activity questionnaire
Gender differences did not greatly affect the strength of relationship between steps counts and total time spent in physical activity
Summary
According to the World Health Organization, the most important risk factors of non-communicable diseases in the Arab countries include high blood pressure, high concentrations of cholesterol in the blood, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight or obesity, physical inactivity and tobacco use [1]. Five of these risks are closely related to improper diet and physical inactivity. Physical activity in young people is a key determinant of energy expenditure and leads to improved cardiovascular and metabolic fitness as well as enhanced bone health [5]. As a result, monitoring physical activity levels in the society is increasingly becoming a public health priority [4,6]
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