Measurement of quantity and quality of physical activity within school settings

Physical activity of school-aged children is associated with their cognitions, physical and psychological health and well-being. Accurate and meaningful assessment of both the quantity and quality of physical activity within different school environments is a complex yet important task for both research and surveillance purposes. This chapter reviews prominent digital methods for the assessment of physical activity quantity and quality and discusses their respective advantages and potential shortcomings. While digital technology has improved over the years, the research field is still in need for valid, reliable, and internationally standardised measurement approaches that can be reasonably implemented across diverse school contexts. The latest technology, such as wearable technology and artificial intelligence approaches, may provide promising solutions and are important future directions for the field. Copyright © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Victoria A. Goodyear and Andrea Bundon; individual chapters, the contributors.