Cert: A Perceived Exertion Scale for Young Children

Abstract

This paper describes the rationale for the Children's Effort Rating Table (CERT) designed for assessing perceived exertion by children aged 6 to 9 years. This device is similar to Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) which is internationally recognized and currently used in conjunction with standard metabolic measures in a wide range of settings where exercise is prescribed and the intensity of various forms of physical activity is regulated by adults. We devised CERT for use in our research on the development of perception of effort by younger children. Some validation research on CERT has been completed.