Abstract
Paper-based self-report instruments are a popular method of measuring free living physical activity levels in children, though often with low to moderate validity. The internet provides opportunities for improving the usability and validity of such instruments. PURPOSE: To validate an internet based physical activity self-report instrument (the ActiLog) in children aged 12–15 yrs. A secondary aim was to assess whether SMS-based text reminders influenced the total daily minutes of physical activity reported via the ActiLog. METHODS: The ActiLog is an internet-based self-report activity log that records mode, duration and intensity of physical activity bouts over a 24-hour period. Thirty-five children (13.8±0.9 yrs) completed the ActiLog for 7 consecutive days whilst wearing accelerometers (ActiGraph model 7164, MTI Health Services Inc.) and heart rate monitors. The primary outcome variables derived from each instrument were the total time spent each day in activity at four intensity levels (resting, light, moderate and vigorous). ActiLog validity was assessed by comparison of the total daily time spent at each intensity level reported by each instrument. The students were divided into SMS (n=17) and NOSMS (n=18) groups depending upon whether they were willing and able to receive SMS text reminder messages. RESULTS: The correlation between the ActiLog and ActiGraph total daily minutes of activity was moderate (r=0.54, p<0.05) and was similar to that found between the ActiLog and heart rate monitoring (r=0.43, p<0.05). Compared to both the ActiGraph and heart rate monitoring, the ActiLog significantly overestimated total daily minutes of activity at moderate and vigorous intensity levels and significantly underestimated total daily minutes of activity at the resting intensity level. The SMS group completed significantly more (p<0.05) of the ActiLog compared to the NOSMS group: 613±331 minutes per day versus 468±367 minutes per day, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that the internet-based ActiLog has acceptable validity and compares favourably with other self-report instruments. Children significantly over-estimate their levels of moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity when using self-report instruments. SMS text reminders resulted in a significant increase in participant's reporting levels and may be an effective way of increasing reporting in future studies.
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