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Abstract

BackgroundSelf-report recall questionnaires are commonly used to measure physical activity, energy expenditure and time use in children and adolescents. However, self-report questionnaires show low to moderate validity, mainly due to inaccuracies in recalling activity in terms of duration and intensity. Aside from recall errors, inaccuracies in estimating energy expenditure from self-report questionnaires are compounded by a lack of data on the energy cost of everyday activities in children and adolescents. This article describes the development of the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA), a computer-delivered use-of-time instrument designed to address both the limitations of self-report recall questionnaires in children, and the lack of energy cost data in children.MethodsThe test-retest reliability of the MARCA was assessed using a sample of 32 children (aged 11.8 ± 0.7 y) who undertook the MARCA twice within 24-h. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing self-reports with accelerometer counts collected on a sample of 66 children (aged 11.6 ± 0.8 y). Content and construct validity were assessed by establishing whether data collected using the MARCA on 1429 children (aged 11.9 ± 0.8 y) exhibited relationships and trends in children's physical activity consistent with established findings from a number of previous research studies.ResultsTest-retest reliability was high with intra-class coefficients ranging from 0.88 to 0.94. The MARCA demonstrated criterion validity comparable to other self-report instruments with Spearman coefficients ranging from rho = 0.36 to 0.45, and provided evidence of good content and construct validity.ConclusionThe MARCA is a valid and reliable self-report questionnaire, capable of a wide variety of flexible use-of-time analyses related to both physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and offers advantages over existing pen-and-paper questionnaires.

Screen-Time Weight-loss Intervention Targeting Children at Home (SWITCH): a randomized controlled trial

“…The MARCA has same-day test-retest reliability of r =0.84-0.92 for major outcome variables, and validity with reference to accelerometry of r = 0.45 for physical activity level (PAL) [48]. Children were asked to recall their activities for the two previous days (48 hours).…”

The relationship between breastfeeding and weight status in a national sample of Australian children and adolescents

“…The daily energy intake used in this analysis is the average of the two 24 h recalls. Participants aged 9-16 years used the validated Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA) [17] to provide two consecutive days of physical activity and 'use of time' recall data at both the CAPI and CATI. Data from the MARCA were used to estimate average daily duration of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), total screen time (i.e.…”

Time Use and Daily Activities of Late Adolescents in Contemporary Ireland

“…When the data collection in the present study took place in late 2007, such technologies were largely unavailable. Therefore the data do not reflect the widespread penetration of mobile technologies in the lives of today's adolescents (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Furthermore, the diary instrument did not distinguish between Computer/Internet use for gaming or social networking, two activities reported in more recent literature as significantly gendered.…”

“…In their study of the school-day time use of 6,024 Australian adolescents (mean age 13 years), collected using the computer administered Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA) (Ridley, Olds, & Hill, 2006), they found that at all ages, boys spent significantly more time in physical activity, organised sport, watching TV and playing videogames, while girls spent more time shopping, doing chores, playing with pets and using their phones. Supporting Zuzanek's (2005) assertion of the narrowing of the digital divide, no differences in computer time were found in the Australian study.…”