Calibration of the Online Youth Activity Profile Assessment for School-Based Applications

Abstract

A balance between the feasibility and validity of measures is an important consideration for physical activity (PA) research—particularly in school-based research with youth. The present study extends previously tested calibration methods to develop and test new equations for an online version of the youth activity profile (YAP) tool, a self-report tool designed for school applications. Data were collected across different regions and seasons to develop more robust, generalizable equations. The study involved a total of 717 youth from 33 schools (374 elementary [ages 9–11 years], 224 middle [ages 11–14 years], and 119 high school [ages 14–18 years]) in two different states in the United States. Participants wore a Sensewear monitor for a full week and then completed the online YAP at school to report PA and sedentary behaviors in school and at home. Accelerometer data were processed using an R-based segmentation program to compute PA and sedentary behavior levels. Quantile regression models were used with half of the sample to develop item-specific YAP calibration equations, and these were cross validated with the remaining half of the sample. Computed values of mean absolute percentage error ranged from 15 to 25% with slightly lower error observed for the middle school sample. The new equations had improved precision compared with the previous versions when tested on the same sample. The online version of the YAP provides an efficient and effective way to capture school level estimates of PA and sedentary behaviors in youth.

Shifts in Self-Reported Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Play Among Lower-Socioeconomic Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

“…YAP outcomes have been validated and calibrated against device-based group-level PA estimates. 6 Two questions about degree of movement and play with friends during recess were measured on a scale from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 4 (“strongly agree”). In 2020, these questions referred to recess during the typical school day while in 2021 they referred to breaks from learning during the remote school day.…”

A protocol for coordinating rural community stakeholders to implement whole-of-community youth physical activity surveillance through school systems

“…The Youth Activity Profile (YAP) is a self-report PA instrument that was developed specifically for school-based applications and has been used as a surveillance instrument in the National Cancer Institute’s Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study ( Saint-Maurice and Welk, 2014 , Oh et al, 2017 ). A unique feature of the YAP is that youth self-report behaviors on a simple survey and items are subsequently calibrated to provide group-level estimates of PA behaviors ( Welk et al, 2021 ). Specific algorithms were recently developed for the online version of the YAP ( Welk et al, 2021 ).…”

“…A unique feature of the YAP is that youth self-report behaviors on a simple survey and items are subsequently calibrated to provide group-level estimates of PA behaviors ( Welk et al, 2021 ). Specific algorithms were recently developed for the online version of the YAP ( Welk et al, 2021 ). Group-level estimates from the YAP were found to be statistically equivalent to values from a validated PA monitor (i.e., a SenseWear Armband Pro3) ( Welk et al, 2021 , Saint-Maurice et al, 2015 ).…”

“…Specific algorithms were recently developed for the online version of the YAP ( Welk et al, 2021 ). Group-level estimates from the YAP were found to be statistically equivalent to values from a validated PA monitor (i.e., a SenseWear Armband Pro3) ( Welk et al, 2021 , Saint-Maurice et al, 2015 ). Group-level estimates of in-school and out-of-school PA values from the YAP were within 23% and 21% of values derived from the PA monitor, respectively, based on mean absolute percent error (MAPE) calculations ( Welk et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Students were guided to respond to five questions related to in-school participation in PA (e.g., active transportation, activity breaks, physical education, and recess), 5 questions related to out-of-school PA (e.g., activity before and after school, activity on weeknights, and activity on weekends), and 5 questions pertaining to sedentary behaviors (e.g., watching television, videogame use, computer use) based on the last seven days. The online platform employed updated calibration equations to provide estimates of both time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as well as time spent in sedentary behavior ( Welk et al, 2021 ). Please visit www.youthactivityprofile.org to complete a full demonstration of the YAP.…”