Congratulations to Dr. Mark Tremblay and former HALOites Richard Larouche and Diego Augusto Santos Silva and colleagues on their new publication “Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children: Validity and Cut-Points to Identify Sufficient Levels of Moderate- to Vigorous-Intensity Physical Activity Among Children and Adolescents Diagnosed With HIV” recently published in Pediatric Exercise Science. A summary and citation are provided below.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To investigate the validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) to assess the moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) level of children and adolescents diagnosed with HIV and propose cut-points, with accelerometer measures as the reference method.

Method: Children and adolescents, aged 8–14 years (mean age = 12.21 y, SD = 2.09), diagnosed with HIV by vertical transmission, participated in the study. MVPA was investigated through the PAQ-C and triaxial accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+). Receiver operating characteristic curve and sensitivity and specificity values were used to identify a cut-point for PAQ-C to distinguish participants meetingMVPA guidelines.

Results: Fifty-six children and adolescents participated in the study. Among those, 16 met MVPA guidelines. The PAQ-C score was significantly related to accelerometry-derived MVPA (ρ = .506, P < .001). The PAQ-C score cut-point of 2.151 (sensitivity = 0.625, specificity = 0.875) was able to discriminate between those who met MVPA guidelines and those that did not (area under the curve = 0.751, 95% confidence interval, 0.616–0.886).

Conclusion: The PAQ-C was useful to investigate MVPA among children and adolescents diagnosed with HIV and to identify those who meet MVPA guidelines.

CITATION

de Castro, J.A.C., de Lima, L.R.A., Larouche, R., Tremblay, M.S., & Silva, D.A.S. (2024). Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children: Validity and Cut-Points to Identify Sufficient Levels of Moderate- to Vigorous-Intensity Physical Activity Among Children and Adolescents Diagnosed With HIV. Pediatric Exercise Science, 36, 30-36. https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2022-0146