Measures of physical activity in children and adolescents with disabilities: a systematic review

The purpose of the study was to analyze the main methods of physical activity measurement used in children and adolescents with disabilities. It was performed a systematic literature review through the databases: SportDiscus, Medline, Lilacs and Scielo. Were selected studies that examined physical activity practice in children and adolescents with disabilities, published between 2000 and 2010. It was also verified the type of measurement method used and results obtained. In total, 11 studies were included. The most used method of physical activity measurement was accelerometry (n = 6). Duration of use of different measurement instruments was one day to two weeks, varying with the type of method used, type of disability of the sample and objective of the study. However, there wasn?t a consensus about the most correct method to be used to measure physical activity levels in young people with disabilities. According to the studies, accelerometry was the most used method of measurement. It was also observed that the method to be used is chosen according to the type of disability presented by the sample and the objective of the study, so that research may become feasible.