Abstract

RAMOS-JIMENEZ, Arnulfo; WALL-MEDRANO, Abraham; ESPARZA-DEL VILLAR, Oscar A.  and  HERNANDEZ-TORRES, Rosa P.. Validity of Pieron's Questionnaire on Physical/Sports Habits and Behaviors in Young People from Northern Mexico. REDIE [online]. 2010, vol.12, n.2, pp.1-16. ISSN 1607-4041.

Several self-report questionnaires have been used to evaluate various determiners of sports practice in young people, but very few have been applied to Mexicans. In this analysis, the questionnaire was administered to 222 subjects (13-25 years). We determined its internal consistency (Cronbach α), content validity (document analysis), construct (Exploratory Factor Analysis, EFA) as well as that of the criterion. The latter, by its correlation (Spearman) with anthropometric variables: body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and physiological (VO2max). The results showed that the internal consistency is acceptable (Cronbach's α = 0.68 to 0.85). Moreover, this questionnaire similarly responds to queries posed in surveys already reported (to find out the physical, educational, psychological and socio-demographic characteristics of physical/sports practice). The EFA showed 1, 2 and 3 factor structures with adequate Cronbach's α (~0.70) and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (~0.72) values. The practice of physical activity was associated with a lower BMI and higher VO2max. The questionnaire proved to be a valid instrument for investigating physical/sports habits and behavior in young people from northern Mexico.

Keywords : Health; sport; youth; physical activity.