Abstract

The Argentina Social Debt Survey (EDSA) is a multipurpose instrument which collects data on households and people in cities in Argentina. It has a specific module to estimate the fulfillment of the rights of children and adolescents, and aspects of human development. It is conducted every year on a probability sample of 5,700 households in major cities. A 5-item subsection explores the weekly frequency and performance time of moderate and vigorous physical exercise (MVPE) and an index is used to assess whether the recommendation of 60 minutes of MVPE is met or not. The aim was to test the criterion validity of these questions in a sample of children and adolescents between 7 and 17 years of age (n = 151; 70 men and 81 women) with a medium-high and medium-low socioeconomic level. The criteria measurements were obtained by accelerometry. The participants wore a CSA 7164 accelerometer for 7 days and the responsible adult answered the full EDSA (including the 5 physical exercise items). MVPE by accelerometer (MVPEA) correlated with average daily physical exercise time (ADPET) (r = 0.22; p <0.01). Although the correlation is low, the criterion validity for estimating MVPE is demonstrated.