Comparison of Two Approaches to Structured Physical Activity Surveys for Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose-To compare the test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and overall feasibility/ usability of activity-based (AB) and time-based (TB) approaches for obtaining self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) from adolescents.Methods-Adolescents (206 females and 114 males) completed two 3-d physical activity recalls using the AB and TB surveys, which contained identical lists of physical activities. The participants wore an MTI Actigraph ® accelerometer for the same period.Results-The TB instrument took about 3 min longer to complete (P = 0.022). Overall 2-d testretest correlations for MVPA were similar for the two surveys (r = 0.676 and 0.667), but the girls had higher reliability on the AB survey than the boys (girls: r = 0.713; boys: r = 0.568). The overall 3-d correlations for MVPA surveys and Actigraph counts varied by gender (girls: AB = 0.265 vs TB = 0.314; boys: AB = 0.340 vs TB = 0.277). Correlations for vigorous physical activity and Actigraph counts were higher for the AB than for the TB (r = 0.281 vs 0.162). As the interval between completing the surveys and the days being recalled increased, reliability and validity were lower, especially for the AB survey.Conclusion-For both genders, either approach is acceptable for obtaining MVPA information on a single day, but the TB approach appears to be slightly favored over the AB approach for obtaining multiple days of MVPA. A 3-d recall period appears to be too long for accurate recall of MVPA Address for Correspondence: Robert McMurray, Dept of Exercise and Sport Science, CB#8700, Fetzer Gym, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC 27599-8700; Email: exphys@email.unc.edu. A complete list of activities used for the survey instruments, as well as the instruments and their instructions, can be obtained by contacting the primary author, Robert G. McMurray. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptMed Sci Sports Exerc. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2008 June 8. Published in final edited form as:Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 December ; 36(12): 2135-2143. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript information from either instrument. For both genders, the surveys overestimated activity levels; thus, self-reports should be supplemented with objective data. Keywords ACCELEROMETERS; RELIABILITY; VALIDITY; YOUTH; EXERCISEThere are a number of self-report questionnaires used to obtain information on physical activity patterns in adolescents. Some of these focus on habitual activity (6,8,12,24), and others examine the previous 1-7 d of activity (20,21,22,25,27). Surveys that examine daily physical activity patterns have used various cues to assist respondents in completing the forms. One approach is a time-based (TB) recall strategy. The TB approach, used by the Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (PDPAR) (25,29) and 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) (18), requires the respondent to report physical activity performed during each of the previous 3 d, beginning with the most recent day and working ba...

Concurrent validity of a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-A) in European adolescents: The HELENA Study

“…28 Weak but significant associations between questionnaires and accelerometer data have been found in other studies with adolescents, [29][30][31] particularly in young adolescents. 30 Good measurements of low and moderate physical activities, using self-reported means, have been shown to be the most difficult to obtain for both adults and adolescents.…”

Validade e reprodutibilidade dos instrumentos de medida da atividade física do tipo self-report em adolescentes: uma revisão sistemática

“…Dentre eles, 41 haviam analisado a reprodutibilidade "teste-reteste" e 58 a validade. Alguns estudos analisaram mais de um instrumento (n = 10) 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25 e, nos estudos com análise de validade, 15 instrumentos foram comparados contra mais de um critério de referência -"padrão-ouro" 16,23,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 . Em função disso, nesta revisão, o "instrumento" será a unidade de análise e, por conseguinte, em algumas vezes os valores de "n" (ou o número de referências citadas) serão diferentes do número de estudos revisados (Figura 1).…”

“…Identificaram-se 52 instrumentos diferentes (42 questionários, 6 diários e 4 entrevistas estruturadas), mas apenas 11 haviam sido testados mais de uma vez 16,18,20,21,22,24,25,26,29,30,31,33,35,36,37,39,41,44,46,49,52,54,55,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67 . A maioria destes instrumentos (33/52) 19,20,21,22,23,24,25,27,28,32,35,38,40,41,46,47,50,51,53,…”

Commercial venues as supports for physical activity in adolescent girls

“…Girls also completed a revised Three Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) (Pate et al, 2003;McMurray et al, 2004) which indicated where they did PA (i.e., home/neighborhood, school, other outdoor public area, other, and community facilities). Community facilities included parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, churches, dance studios, and fields or gyms.…”