Do Overweight Girls Overreport Physical Activity?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if overweight adolescent girls are more likely to overreport physical activity compared to normal-weight girls. METHODS: Participation in physical activities and perceived intensity of activities were assessed from the previous day physical activity recall (PDPAR) in 1021 girls aged 11-14 years old (37% overweight). Daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured using accelerometry. RESULTS: Girls in the "at-risk for overweight" and "overweight" categories had 17.7% and 19.4% fewer minutes of MVPA per block reported on the PDPAR compared to normal-weight girls (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overweight adolescent girls tend to overreport their total amount of physical activity.