Validity of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children: An Actigraphic Study

This study aimed to provide evidence of the validity of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children against an external-objective criterion of the 24 h motor activity pattern assessed through actigraphy. A total of 107 children (60 females; mean age 10.25 ± 0.48) were originally enrolled. Children wore the actigraph model Actiwatch AW64 (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd., Fenstanton, UK) for seven days, 24 h per day, around the non-dominant wrist. At the beginning of the actigraphic recording, participants filled in the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children. Functional Linear Modeling was used to examine variation in the 24 h motor activity pattern according to the total score in the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children. Higher physical self-efficacy was significantly related to greater levels of motor activity in the afternoon. Overall, this pattern of results supports the validity of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children against the external-objective criterion of the 24 h motor pattern. The Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children could represent a promising endpoint for studies assessing the effectiveness of physical activity promotion interventions.