This was a systematic review of studies on the reliability and validity of self-report instruments for measuring physical activity, or subjective measurements, in adolescents (10-18 years). Searches were conducted in databases (MEDLINE, PsycInfo, SportsDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, Lilacs) and in the references of the retrieved articles. Sixty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority were from North America, with only 5 from Brazil. Fifty-two different instruments were identified: 42 questionnaires, 6 diaries or logs, and 4 interviews. "Test-retest" reliability varied from 0.20 to 0.98; the majority (28/50) of the coefficients showed values < 0.70. Validity coefficients showed wide variation (-0.13 to 0.88), with the majority (64/84) < 0.50. Only 3 instruments displayed correlations > 0.70. Various instruments were tested in adolescents, especially questionnaires. These instruments generally showed better "test-retest" reliability than validity.
Motor Activity; Adolescent; Reproducibility of Results; Validity of Tests; Methods