146: Validation of Parent-Reported Physical and Sedentary Activity by Accelerometry in Young Children

Physical activity in early childhood may be important for the prevention of childhood obesity, although it is unknown if parent-reported physical activity and sedentary behavior are valid in preschoolers. The objectives of this study were to validate parent-reported physical activity and sedentary behavior using accelerometry in young children. From 2013 to 2014, 117 healthy children (ages 0–5) were recruited to wear Actical accelerometers for seven days. Average daily physical activity was defined as the sum of activity ≥100 counts per minute, and sedentary behavior as the sum of activity <100 counts/min, during waking hours. Parents reported daily physical activity (including unstructured free play in and out of school, and structured activities) and sedentary behaviours (including screen time, stroller time, time in motor vehicle). Spearman correlation tests with 95% confidence intervals, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess the validity of parent-reported measures compared to directly measured accelerometer data. The correlation between parent-reported and directly measured total physical activity was ρ=0.39 (95% CI 0.19, 0.56). The correlations between types of physical activity (unstructured activity in and outside of school/daycare, and structured activity) and accelerometer were ρ=0.30 (0.09, 0.49); ρ=0.42 (0.23, 0.58); ρ=0.26 (0.05, 0.46), respectively. Parent-reported and objectively measured total sedentary behaviour were not correlated, ρ=0.10 (−0.12, 0.33). Parent-reported measures of unstructured free play and structured activity may be valid for the relative measurement of physical activity among children less than 6 years of age. Further research is needed to adequately capture sedentary behavior in young children.