Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children and Adolescents

Posted on: March 5, 2017 | By: evanfleet2 | Filed under: Physical Activity Questionnaire

The information listed previously is accurate and still the current information. No information found for MDIC.

Article Summary: The association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health-related quality of life among adolescents

The purpose of this research was to study the relationships between body mass index, physical activity, adherence to Mediterranean diet, with the health related quality of life in Spanish adolescents.  The sample population of 480 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 14, 235 girls and 221 boys from 5 of the 55 public schools in the Spanish city of Granada.  Twenty-four of the students were excluded from the study for failure to fill out all of the required questionnaires.

The study compared health related quality of life utilizing the KIDSCREEN 27 questionnaire, 27 items in five categories (physical well-being, psychological well-being, autonomy and parent’s relation, social support and peers and school environment) and compared the results with physical activity, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, and body mass index (BMI).  To determine physical activity, participants completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was estimated utilizing a maximal effort shuttle run, and sedentary screen time (self-report).  Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet (MD) was measured using the Evaluation of the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) 16 yes-no questions 12 about behaviors consistent with MD diet for example “Do you use olive oil at home?”  and 4 inconsistent questions “Do you eat candy or sweets multiple times a day?”

Statistical analysis was applied to all of the data starting with calculation of the means and standard deviations of all of the variables.  Normality of the data was assessed and finding it was not normally distributed a Mann-Whitney U test was used for two-group comparison and Kruskal-Wallis test was employed for three-group comparison.  Hierarchical linear regression were used to determine whether quality of life could be predicted utilizing Mediterranean diet, BMI and physical activity utilizing a stepwise manner.

Results of the hierarchical analysis indicated that Mediterranean diet accounted for 4.6% of the variance in quality of life with higher adherence to the diet correlating with higher quality of life, BMI accounted for a further 4.1% of the variance with higher BMI correlating with lower quality of life, and 11.3% of the variance accounted for by physical activity with higher levels of physical activity correlating to higher quality of life. When combined these three variables accounted for 20% of the variance in quality of life in the study adolescents.

Strengths of this study were that it is one of the first studies in adolescents to use the Mediterranean diet as a correlate in addition to BMI and physical activity to health related quality of life as well as the relatively large cross sectional sample size.  The major weakness with the study was the results showed a correlation but not a causal relationship between physical activity and quality of life. Also, because all of the questionnaires were self-report they are highly variable in measurement error. In addition, socioeconomic status was not reported, children from lower socioeconomic families may not have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, staples of the Mediterranean diet.

This study suggest that physical activity, BMI and adhering to a Mediterranean diet all correlated to high health related quality of life scores, with physical activity having the greatest impact.  Further research in this area is warranted especially in terms of longitudinal studies with physical activity intervention.

Muros JJ, Salvador Pérez F, Zurita Ortega F, Gámez Sánchez VM, Knox E. The association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health-related quality of life among adolescents. Jornal de Pediatria. January 2017. doi:10.1016/j.jped.2016.10.005.

 

 

 

One response to “Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children and Adolescents”

  1. nproffit says:

    I find this quite an interesting study but one that leaves more questions, which you indicated as limitations in the study, rather than clear effects of a Mediterranean diet in adolescents. I am curious to look into related research in the adult population to look for any parallel indicators between the populations. I also would be interested in a more controlled study with provided food to family/child in order to determine a true outcome of Mediterranean diet. Overall an interesting start to nutrition research in children and the implications beyond the plate.

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