Weekly recall of sedentary time: Validity of 2 weekly self‐reported measures in undergraduate students

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the validity of two weekly sedentary time (ST) questionnaires adapted from the Past‐day Adults' Sedentary Time—University (PAST‐U): the PAST‐WEEK‐U (Study 1) and the NIGHTLY‐WEEK‐U (Study 2), in a homogenous sample of undergraduate students by comparison with criterion data obtained using the activPAL4™ inclinometer. In Study 1, undergraduate university students wore the activPAL4™ for 1 week. The following week, participants completed the PAST‐WEEK‐U. In Study 2, undergraduate students wore the activPAL4™ for 1 week and simultaneously completed the NIGHTLY‐WEEK‐U. Average daily ST was calculated from each questionnaire and compared with the average daily ST derived from the criterion measure activPAL4™. The agreement between the measures was assessed via Bland‐Altman plots. The average ST captured using the PAST‐WEEK‐U was 0.09 hours lower than the criterion measure activPAL4™ (ie, 11.34 vs 11.25 hours per day), with a 95% limit of agreement ranging from −5.38 to 5.55 hours. The average ST captured using the NIGHTLY‐WEEK‐U was 0.21 hours lower than the criterion measure activPAL4™ (ie, 10.50 vs 10.29 hours per day), with a 95% limit of agreement ranging from −1.75 to 2.17 hours. The NIGHTLY‐WEEK‐U provides a superior measure of ST compared with the PAST‐WEEK‐U and potentially other weekly measures of ST.

Validity of the occupational sitting and physical activity questionnaire (OSPAQ) for home-based office workers during the COVID-19 global pandemic: A secondary analysis

“…Future studies should look to validate the questionnaire when occupational behaviours are recalled at the end of each day as opposed to each week. Previous work has shown increased levels of agreement when implementing self-reported questionnaires in this fashion ( Moulin et al, 2020 ). Second, there may be an educational piece necessary when administering this questionnaire.…”

Feasibility of Reducing and Breaking Up University Students' Sedentary Behaviour: Pilot Trial and Process Evaluation

“…The self-report tool used to assess sedentary time was the Nightly-Week-U (NWU). The NWU is a validated questionnaire aimed at collecting daily sedentary times of undergraduate students in nine different domains, including work, transport, or socialising (Moulin et al, 2020 ). Self-reports that prompt participants to examine different areas where they can accumulate sedentary time exhibit more accurate estimates than single-item self-reports (Healy et al, 2011 ).…”

“…Self-reports that prompt participants to examine different areas where they can accumulate sedentary time exhibit more accurate estimates than single-item self-reports (Healy et al, 2011 ). In addition, a noteworthy element of the NWU is that participants complete the questionnaire at the end of their day (right before retiring to bed), which has been shown to reduce recall bias and increase accuracy compared to weekly self-reported measures (Moulin et al, 2020 ). The NWU was filled in daily, together with the activPAL log ( Supplementary File 3 —daily log).…”