Observed vs. Recalled Exercise Behavior: A Validation of a Seven Day Exercise Recall for Boys 11 to 13 Years Old

Abstract

Eleven boys (age = 12.5 ± 0.7 years) attending a summer camp were ashed to recall their physical activity specific to mode (M), duration (D), and intensity (I) for the previous seven days (D ₁ − D ₇ ). The child's report (RCH) was compared to the counselor's record (RCO) of that child's activities for D ₁ through D ₇ . Comparisons were made between (M), (D), and (I) as well as the daily caloric expenditure (K). There were no significant differences for K for D ₁ through D ₇ for the RCH when compared to the RCO. Over the 7-day period, the accuracy of the boys to match the counselor was 1) 46% for M, 2) 75% for I, and 3) 97.5% for days when compared to RCO. Even though the children could not accurately remember the details of the activities they did, the 7-day recall does appear to be applicable to children as a summary tool of their total energy expenditure.

Key Words:

• exercise behavior
• recall
• self-report