Abstract

Background: As physical inactivity is becoming a major cause of health issues around the world, not only in adults but also among children, preventions are required especially in low-and middle- income countries. This study was performed to validate a physical activity questionnaire and assess physical activity of 11-year-old children using the questionnaire and a triaxial accelerometer in Hue City, Vietnam.
Methods: A physical activity questionnaire developed by the authors was administered in 30 participants between January and February 2018. Anthropometric measures and 3-day activity monitored using an accelerometer were also obtained. Differences in physical characteristics and physical activity records according to gender and body mass index (BMI), and the relationship between amount of physical activity determined from the questionnaire and accelerometer data were examined.
Results: Data for 12 participants were excluded from the analysis due to various types of error. Thirteen of the remaining 18 participants (72%) achieved more than 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for all three recording days. Male participants showed higher counts than females in exercise, steps, MVPA and vigorous physical activity (VPA), respectively. Significant relationships were found between accelerometer’ records and responses to questions about sedentary behavior, such as time spent playing computer games but not to questions related to their sports activities.
Conclusion: Accelerometers could be used to monitor physical activity among 11-year-old Vietnamese children with support from school teachers or guardians. Accelerometer records were correlated with questions regarding sedentary activities but not questions on sports activities. The results suggested the importance of including questions related to sedentary behavior in physical activity questionnaires. Further studies are needed with larger sample sizes to assess the validity of the questionnaire.