Physical <scp>A</scp>ctivity <scp>Q</scp>uestionnaire for children and adolescents: <scp>E</scp>nglish norms and cut‐off points

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ</jats:styled-content>‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">C</jats:styled-content>/‐<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>) provides general estimates of physical activity levels. Following recent expert recommendations for using the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ</jats:styled-content> for population surveillance, the aim of this paper was twofold: first, to describe normative <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ</jats:styled-content> data for <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>nglish youth; and second, to determine a criterion‐referenced <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ</jats:styled-content>‐score cut‐off point.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Participants (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 7226, 53% boys, 10–15 years) completed an anglicized version of the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ</jats:styled-content>. Peak oxygen uptake (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">VO</jats:styled-content><jats:sub>2peak</jats:sub>) was predicted from <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PACER</jats:styled-content> lap count according to latest <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">FITNESSGRAM</jats:styled-content> standards and categorized into “at‐risk” and “no‐risk” for metabolic syndrome. R<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OC</jats:styled-content> curves were drawn for each age–sex group to identify <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ </jats:styled-content>scores, which categorized youth into “sufficiently active” versus “low‐active” groups, using cardiorespiratory fitness as the criterion‐referenced standard.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ </jats:styled-content>scores were higher in boys than in girls and declined with age. Mean <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ </jats:styled-content>score was a significant, albeit relatively weak (area under the curve &lt; 0.7) discriminator between “at‐risk” and “no‐risk.” <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ </jats:styled-content>scores of ≥2.9 for boys and ≥2.7 for girls were identified as cut‐off points, although it may be more appropriate to use lower, age‐specific <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ </jats:styled-content>scores for girls of 13, 14 and 15 years (2.6, 2.4, 2.3, respectively).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>The normative and criterion‐referenced <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ </jats:styled-content>values may be used to standardize and categorize <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PAQ </jats:styled-content>scores in future youth population studies.</jats:p></jats:sec>