ArticleThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2021
Validity, reliability, and calibration of the physical activity unit 7 item screener (PAU-7S) at population scale.
Article in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Psychometric Properties of Physical Activity Questionnaires for Children and Adolescents: An Updated Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- Physical Activity, Sleep Quality, Physical Fitness, and Academic Performance as Factors Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life in Primary and Secondary School Students from the Canary Islands.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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- The relationship between parental feeding practices and children's health-related quality of life.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Do Single Food Habits Matter? Fish and Vegetables Intake and Risk of Low HRQoL in Schoolchildren (ASOMAD Study).Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of instruments for assessing physical activity in adolescents: a systematic review.Physical activity and nutrition · 2025Article
- Overweight, Obesity, and Lifestyle Behaviors in Immigrants and Native Children in Madrid-ASOMAD Study.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Increased Salivary BDNF and Improved Fundamental Motor Skills in Children Following a 3-Month Integrated Neuromuscular Training in Primary School.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024Article
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- Lifestyle behaviors clusters in a nationwide sample of Spanish children and adolescents: PASOS study.Pediatric research · 2023Article
- Parents' Diet Quality and Physical Activity Are Associated with Lifestyle in Spanish Children and Adolescents: The PASOS Study.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Independent and Joined Association between Socioeconomic Indicators and Pediatric Obesity in Spain: The PASOS Study.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Physical Activity Levels and Sleep in Schoolchildren (6-17) with and without School Sport.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Clinical epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children and adolescents. The LiverKids: Study protocol.PloS one · 2023Article
- Development of the Children and Adolescents Physical Activity and Sedentary Questionnaire (CAPAS-Q): Psychometric Validity and Clinical Interpretation.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Determinants of Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Spanish Children and Adolescents: The PASOS Study.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Sleep dimensions are associated with obesity, poor diet quality and eating behaviors in school-aged children.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Article
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28 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundValidation of self-reported tools, such as physical activity (PA) questionnaires, is crucial. The aim of this study was to determine test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and the concurrent, construct, and predictive validity of the short semi-quantitative Physical Activity Unit 7 item Screener (PAU-7S), using accelerometry as the reference measurement. The effect of linear calibration on PAU-7S validity was tested.
methodsA randomized sample of 321 healthy children aged 8-16 years (149 boys, 172 girls) from the nationwide representative PASOS study completed the PAU-7S before and after wearing an accelerometer for at least 7 consecutive days. Weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. Cronbach alpha was calculated for internal consistency. Test-retest reliability was determined by intra-class correlation (ICC). Concurrent validity was assessed by ICC and Spearman correlation coefficient between moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) derived by the PAU-7S and by accelerometer. Concordance between both methods was analyzed by absolute agreement, weighted kappa, and Bland-Altman statistics. Multiple linear regression models were fitted for construct validity and predictive validity was determined by leave-one-out cross-validation.
resultsThe PAU-7S overestimated MVPA by 18%, compared to accelerometers (106.5 ± 77.0 vs 95.2 ± 33.2 min/day, respectively). A Cronbach alpha of 0.76 showed an acceptable internal consistency of the PAU-7S. Test-retest reliability was good (ICC 0.71 p < 0.001). Spearman correlation and ICC coefficients of MVPA derived by the PAU-7S and accelerometers increased from 0.31 to 0.62 and 0.20 to 0.62, respectively, after calibration of the PAU-7S. Between-methods concordance improved from a weighted kappa of 0.24 to 0.50 after calibration. A slight reduction in ICC, from 0.62 to 0.60, yielded good predictive validity. Multiple linear regression models showed an inverse association of MVPA with standardized body mass index (β - 0.162; p < 0.077) and waist to height ratio (β - 0.010; p < 0.014). All validity dimensions were somewhat stronger in boys compared to girls.
conclusionThe PAU-7S shows a good test-retest reliability and acceptable internal consistency. All dimensions of validity increased from poor/fair to moderate/good after calibration. The PAU-7S is a valid instrument for measuring MVPA in children and adolescents.
trial registrationTrial registration number ISRCTN34251612 .
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