An examination of daily behaviour using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire:

Social marketers use survey instruments to generate an understanding of societal issues. One such instrument is the focus of this paper to determine its reliability and validity in reflecting daily physical activity (PA)... [ view full abstract ]

Social marketers use survey instruments to generate an understanding of societal issues. One such instrument is the focus of this paper to determine its reliability and validity in reflecting daily physical activity (PA) levels: The Short Format International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). This instrument divides total PA minutes per week by the total days a minimum of 10 minutes was completed to reveal daily PA levels. The aim of this study is to determine the accuracy of this method in comparison to daily PA levels outlined in the 2010 World Health Organisation recommendations (2010WHOPARs). To do this, 649 weekly PA level observations were collected using the IPAQ-SF. Analysis revealed that counting a day active completing a minimum of 10 minutes is not the equivalent to levels of activity outlined in the 2010WHOPARs overall or amongst classifications. Significant differences were also found amongst the different classification criteria (e.g., 2010WHOPARs) for mean total days active at a minimum of 30 minutes moderate intensity PA and/ or 20 minutes of vigorous intensity PA. Therefore, the IPAQ-SF overestimates daily PA levels which has significant implications for understanding the prevalence of insufficient activity, identifying the target audience and informing funding applications.