title: Physical Activity Questionnaire for children and adolescents: English norms and cut-off points.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (PAQ-C/-A) provides general estimates of physical activity levels. Following recent expert recommendations for using the PAQ for population surveillance, the aim of this paper was twofold: first, to describe normative PAQ data for English youth; and second, to determine a criterion-referenced PAQ-score cut-off point.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (n = 7226, 53% boys, 10-15 years) completed an anglicized version of the PAQ. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak ) was predicted from PACER lap count according to latest FITNESSGRAM standards and categorized into "at-risk" and "no-risk" for metabolic syndrome. ROC curves were drawn for each age-sex group to identify PAQ scores, which categorized youth into "sufficiently active" versus "low-active" groups, using cardiorespiratory fitness as the criterion-referenced standard.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PAQ scores were higher in boys than in girls and declined with age. Mean PAQ score was a significant, albeit relatively weak (area under the curve < 0.7) discriminator between "at-risk" and "no-risk." PAQ 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 PAQ scores for girls of 13, 14 and 15 years (2.6, 2.4, 2.3, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The normative and criterion-referenced PAQ values may be used to standardize and categorize PAQ scores in future youth population studies.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics, Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. christine.voss@hiphealth.ca
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Voss
authors: Ayodele A
authors: AA
authors: Ogunleye
authors: Gavin R H
authors: GR
authors: Sandercock
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012015:Reference Standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: cardiorespiratory fitness; child; physical activity; questionnaires; receiver-operator curve