title: Criterion-related validity of perceived exertion scales in healthy children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: Physiological parameters used to measure exercise intensity are oxygen uptake and heart rate. However, perceived exertion (PE) is a scale that has also been frequently applied. The objective of this study is to establish the criterion-related validity of PE scales in children during an incremental exercise test.
  
  
  
  Seven electronic databases were used. Studies aimed at assessing criterion-related validity of PE scales in healthy children during an incremental exercise test were included. Correlation coefficients were transformed into z-values and assessed in a meta-analysis by means of a fixed effects model if I2 was below 50% or a random effects model, if it was above 50%.
  
  
  
  wenty-five articles that studied 1418 children (boys: 49.2%) met the inclusion criteria. Children's average age was 10.5 years old. Exercise modalities included bike, running and stepping exercises. The weighted correlation coefficient was 0.835 (95% confidence interval: 0.762-0.887) and 0.874 (95% confidence interval: 0.794-0.924) for heart rate and oxygen uptake as reference criteria. The production paradigm and scales that had not been adapted to children showed the lowest measurement performance (p < 0.05).
  
  
  
  Measuring PE could be valid in healthy children during an incremental exercise test. Child-specific rating scales showed a better performance than those that had not been adapted to this population. Further studies with better methodological quality should be conducted in order to confirm these results.
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, 4030000, Chile. ivan.rodriguez@uss.cl.|Carrera de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomás, Concepción, 4030000, Chile.|Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, 4780000, Chile.|Programa de Doutorado em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 04023, Brasil.
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Programa de Doutorado em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 04023, Brasil.|Departamento de Morfología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), 11101, Honduras.
authors.forename: Lysien
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zambrano
authors.affiliation: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, 4780000, Chile.|Departamento de Cirugía, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, 4780000, Chile.|Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia, 7500000, Chile.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manterola
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D005082:Physical Exertion
keywords: Children; Cognition; Exercise; Scales; Validity