Validity and prognostic value of parental ratings of children's activity

Abstract

Objective To determine whether parental reports of children's physical activity are stable over time and correlate with objectively-measured physical activity. Methods Participants were 322 twin children from a large UK twin cohort. When the children were aged 4 (1999) and 11 (2006), mothers rated their activity levels using four different measures. These included children's enjoyment of active pastimes, their habitual activity level, their activity compared with others of the same age and sex and a standard scale for ‘fidgetiness’. Children wore an Actigraph (model 7164) for 7 consecutive days at the 11 year follow up from which total physical activity was calculated. Results From age 4 to 11 amount and enjoyment of physical activity declined, but significant temporal correlations over the 7 year interval (range r = 0.19 to 0.52) suggested that relative activity level was maintained. Habitual physical activity level, enjoyment of activity and fidgetiness at age 11 were all significantly associated with activity counts (all p values < 0.05). Conclusions These results indicate that parental ratings can be valid indicators of children's physical activity, and that children who are perceived to be more active at 4 years are still more active at 11 years.