Background

Considerable work has been done to improve objective monitoring techniques but the systematic use of calibration procedures provides a way to improve the utility of self-report instruments for large scale studies and public health surveillance. With appropriate calibration, it is possible to convert self-reported physical activity data into estimates that correspond to more accurate values obtained using objective measures. The advantage of this approach is that it may be possible to obtain accurate, population level information about physical activity using less expensive and more feasible methods.

The Youth Physical Activity Measurement Study (YPAMS)

The Youth Physical Activity Measurement Study (YPAMS) is an ongoing research study conducted by the Physical Activity and Health Promotion (PAHP) Lab, at Iowa State University. The study was specifically designed to facilitate the continued development and refinement of a new self-report tool for youth, the Youth Activity Profile (YAP). The YPAMS started in 2011, is now in it's 3rd cycle, and has been disseminated to other states in the US, and other countries in Europe and South America.  The main purpose of the study is to improve the utility of self-report tools for surveillance applications and facilitate its use among both researchers and professionals interested in school-based physical activity programming. 

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The Youth Activity Profile (YAP)

The Youth Activity Profile (YAP) is a self-report instrument designed to capture physical activity and sedentary behavior in youth. The YAP was designed to be a self-administered 7-day (previous week) recall questionnaire suitable for use in children from 4th through 12th grades.The YAP includes a total of 15 items divided into three sections: 1) Activity At School, 2) Activity Out-of-School, and 3) Sedentary Habits. Items in the At-School section capture participation in physical activity during 5 specific windows of the day (transportation to and from school, as well as activity during physical education, lunch, and recess). Items in the Out-of-School section include activity before school, activity right after-school, activity during the evening, and activity in each weekend day (Saturday and Sunday). Sedentary items, ask about time spent watching TV, playing videogames, using the computer, using a cell phone, and also include an overall sedentary time item. The final version of the YAP was subject to pilot testing and cognitive interviews (in lab) were performed with similarly aged participants in order to refine the final items. The YAP is available in different languages in the "The YAP" tab. 

The YAP scientific team

Gregory J. Welk, Ph.D.

I am a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Iowa State University with broad interests focused on the intersections of physical activity and public health. I conduct research on physical activity assessment techniques to help develop more effective methods for various research and surveillance applications but  I am also committed to work that builds and evaluates effective physical activity programming in diverse segments of society (e.g. school, community, worksites and clinics). I serve as the Scientific Director of the national FITNESSGRAM program and coordinate several large school based initiatives in collaboration with the Cooper Institute. More information about my work is available in our lab website at http://www.physicalactivitylab.org/. 

Pedro F. Saint-Maurice, Ph.D.

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Metabolics and Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology, at the US National Cancer Institute, NIH. My work is focused on developing/testing physical activity (PA) measures for epidemiology research. I'm particularly interested in understanding the potential of PA measures to examine dose-response between physical activity and different chronic diseases including cancer. I coordinate research on the Youth Activity Profile through the Youth Physical Activity Measurement Study. This work culminated with the development of a new online self-report tool - The Youth Activity Profile intended to provide an indicator of physical activity and sedentary patterns in school-aged youth.  

Yang Bai, Ph.D. 

I am a post-doctoral researcher at Iowa State University and I'm responsible for managing the YAP platform. Most of my research work is focused primarily on FITNESSGRAM related research - specifically the NFL PLAY 60 FITNESSGRAM Partnership project, Texas FITNESSGRAM project and the Iowa FITNESSGRAM Initiative. I have been I also work on consumer activity monitors validation and application.