Evaluation of the Reliability of a Physical Activity Questionnaire Proposal for Girls Aged 8-11 with Postural Disorders

Abstract Introduction. Regular physical activity (PA) protects both the mental and physical health of individuals across all age groups. Documented health benefits for children include improved physical fitness and endurance, reduced risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, lower likelihood of depression and obesity, enhanced bone density, improved cognitive functioning, and better posture. A review of the literature did not identify any questionnaire that had been translated and adapted to Polish conditions in order to assess PA in children aged 8-11. Therefore, a Physical Activity Questionnaire was developed. The aim of this study was to evaluate its reliability for a group of girls aged 8-11 with postural disorders. Material and Methods. The study group consisted of 32 female students aged 8-11 with postural disorders in the transverse plane. The Physical Activity Questionnaire includes three questions that were developed based on the PAQ-A (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents) and HBSC. The selected questions were adapted to the assessed age group. The validation of the questionnaire was conducted using the test-retest method. Results. The reliability of individual items in the questionnaire was assessed using the ICC/KAPPA coefficient, depending on the type of variable. It was found that most items (except for items 3.7 and 3.18) demonstrated good reliability. This also applies to the questionnaire as a whole (ICC = 0.85; p < 0.001). Sufficient repeatability across successive tests was confirmed. Conclusions. The Physical Activity Questionnaire is a relatively reliable tool for determining the level of physical activity in girls aged 8-11 with postural disorders.