Assessment of Physical Activity in a Group of Adults in Italy: Comparison of Two Different Methodologies

Lorenzo Barnaba¹, Donatella Ciarapica¹ and Angela Polito^1,

¹Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Rome, Italy

Cite this paper:
Lorenzo Barnaba, Donatella Ciarapica and Angela Polito. Assessment of Physical Activity in a Group of Adults in Italy: Comparison of Two Different Methodologies. Journal of Physical Activity Research. 2017; 2(2):117-123. doi: 10.12691/jpar-2-2-9

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity levels are often monitored to assess health behaviours and their associations with health status, including mortality and morbidity rates in the population. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-L) was developed in the late 1990s to obtain internationally comparable data on health related physical activity and several studies have shown its acceptable validity and reliability for population-based studies. The aim of this study was the comparison of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-L) against an objective method such as accelerometry. Methods: 220 volunteers (105 men and 115 women), aged 18-65 years, were recruited. All volunteers wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days, after that, we required them to complete the IPAQ-L together with a lifestyle questionnaire containing questions on physical exercise, smoking habits, alcohol consumption and other demographic data (age, sex, ect). Moreover, we collected measure of weight (kg) and height (cm) according to the standard procedure; body mass index (kg body weight/m² body height) has been calculated. Results: IPAQ-L showed a significant tendency to overestimate time spent in vigorous and moderate activities (p=0.0000) and to underestimate time spent sitting (p=0.0000). Additionally, the differences in minutes per day of moderate and vigorous physical activities between the IPAQ-L and the accelerometer reported in questionnaire increased. Nevertheless, we found a low positive correlation (r =0.30; p<0.05) between total physical activity measured by accelerometer and that obtained by the IPAQ-L. Conclusions: Our results showed low to moderate correlations between IPAQ-L and accelerometer pointing out differences across physical activity categories. This is an aspect that should be taken into account prior to deciding on use of an instrument for the assessment of physical activity; especially in small population groups preference should come down to objective tools such as the accelerometer.

Keywords:
physical activity IPAQ-L accelerometer comparison

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Blair, S. N, “Physical inactivity: the biggest public health problem of the 21st century”. British journal of sports medicine, 43(1), 1-2. 2009.
[2]	Warburton, D. E., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S, “Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence”. Canadian medical association journal, 174 (6), 801-809. 2006.
[3]	World Health Organization. “Physical activity. Fact sheet N 385.”Retrieved from. 2014.
[4]	World Health Organization, Global recommendations on physical activity for health. Geneva, Switzerland. 2010.
[5]	Gregg, E. W., Gerzoff, R. B., Caspersen, C. J., Williamson, D. F., & Narayan, K. V, “Relationship of walking to mortality among US adults with diabetes”. Archives of internal medicine, 163(12), 1440-1447. 2003.
[6]	Powell, K. E., Paluch, A. E., & Blair, S. N, “Physical activity for health: What kind? How much? How intense? On top of what?” Annual review of public health, 32: 349-365. 2011.
[7]	Warren, J. M., Ekelund, U., Besson, H., Mezzani, A., Geladas, N., & Vanhees, L, “Assessment of physical activity-a review of methodologies with reference to epidemiological research: a report of the exercise physiology section of the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation”. European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation, 17(2), 127-139. 2010.
[8]	Pereira, M. A., FitzGerald, S. J., Gregg, E. W., Joswiak, M. L., Ryan, W. J., Suminski, R. R., Zmuda, J. M, “A collection of physical activity questionnaires for health-related research”. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc, 29(6 Suppl.): S1-205. 1997.
[9]	Loyen, A., Van Hecke, L., Verloigne, M., Hendriksen, I., Lakerveld, J., Steene-Johannessen, J., Deforche, B, “Variation in population levels of physical activity in European adults according to cross-European studies: a systematic literature review within DEDIPAC”. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 13(1), 72. 2016.
[10]	Craig, C. L., Marshall, A. L., Sjöström, M., Bauman, A. E., Booth, M. L., Ainsworth, B. E., Oja, P, “International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity”. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(8), 1381-1395. 2003.
[11]	Deng, H. B., Macfarlane, D. J., Thomas, G. N., Lao, X. Q., Jiang, C. Q., Cheng, K. K., Lam, T. H, “Reliability and validity of the IPAQ-Chinese: the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort study”. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 40(2), 303-307.2008.
[12]	Oyeyemi, A. L., Bello, U. M., Philemon, S. T., Aliyu, H. N., Majidadi, R. W., & Oyeyemi, A. Y, “Examining the reliability and validity of a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, long form (IPAQ-LF) in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study”. BMJ open, 4(12), e005820.2014.
[13]	Lee, P.H., Macfarlane, D.J., Lam, T., Stewart, S.M, “Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF): a systematic review”. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 8, 115. 2011.
[14]	Wanner, M., Probst-Hensch, N., Kriemler, S., Meier, F., Autenrieth, C., Martin, B.W, “Validation of the long international physical activity questionnaire: influence of age and language region”. Preventive medicine reports, 3, 250-256.2016.
[15]	Mannocci, A., Di Thiene, D., Del Cimmuto, A., Masala, D., Boccia, A., De Vito, E., la Torre, G, “International Physical Activity Questionnaire: validation and assessment in an Italian sample”. Italian Journal of Public Health, 7, 4, 369-376. 2010.
[16]	Minetto, M. A., Motta, G., Gorji, N. E., Lucini, D., Biolo, G., Pigozzi, F., Maffiuletti, N. A, “Reproducibility and validity of the Italian version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in obese and diabetic patients”. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, 1-7. 2017.
[17]	International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-L). IPAQ-L Research Committee, 2005., available at https://sites.google.com/site/theipaq/
[18]	Lohman, T. G., Roche, A. F., & Martorell, R, Anthropometric standardization reference manual. Human kinetics books. 1988.
[19]	World Health Organization, Physical status: The use of and interpretation of anthropometry, Report of a WHO Expert Committee. 1995.
[20]	Ainsworth, B. E., Haskell, W. L., Leon, A. S., Jacobs Jr, D. R., Montoye, H. J., Sallis, J. F., & Paffenbarger Jr, R. S, “Compendium of physical activities: classification of energy costs of human physical activities”. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 25(1), 71-80. 1993.
[21]	Ainsworth, B. E., Haskell, W. L., Whitt, M. C., Irwin, M. L., Swartz, A. M., Strath, S. J., Jacobs, D. R,. “Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities”. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 32 (9;SUPP/1), S498-S504. 2000.
[22]	Ainsworth, B. E., Haskell, W. L., Herrmann, S. D., Meckes, N., Bassett Jr, D. R., Tudor-Locke, C., Leon, A. S,. “Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values”. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 43(8), 1575-1581. 2011.
[23]	Trost, S. G., Pate, R. R., Freedson, P. S., Sallis, J. F., Taylor, W. C, “Using objective physical activity measures with youth: how many days of monitoring are needed?”. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(2), 426. 2000.
[24]	Trost, S. G., McIver, K. L., Pate, R. R, “Conducting accelerometer-based activity assessments in field-based research”. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 37(11), S531-S543. 2005.
[25]	Freedson, P. S., Melanson, E., & Sirard, J, “Calibration of the Computer Science and Applications, Inc. accelerometer”. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 30(5), 777-781. 1998.
[26]	Matthew, C. E, “Calibration of accelerometer output for adults”. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 37(11 Suppl), S512-22. 2005.
[27]	Matthews, C. E., Chen, K. Y., Freedson, P. S., Buchowski, M. S., Beech, B. M., Pate, R. R., & Troiano, R. P, “Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors in the United States, 2003-2004”.American journal of epidemiology, 167(7), 875-881. 2008.
[28]	Hagstromer, M., Ainsworth, B. E., Oja, P., Sjostrom, M., “Comparison of a subjective and an objective measure of physical activity in a population sample”. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 7 (4), 541-550. 2010.
[29]	Bland, J. M., & Altman, D, “Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement”. The Lancet, 327 (8476), 307-310. 1986.
[30]	Sirard, J. R., & Pate, R. R, “Physical activity assessment in children and adolescents”. Sports medicine, 31 (6), 439-454. 2001.
[31]	Welk, G, Physical assessment in health-related research. UK: Human Kinetics. Leeds, 2002.
[32]	Ham, S. A., Reis, J. P., Strath, S. J., Dubose, K. D., & Ainsworth, B. E, “Discrepancies between methods of identifying objectively determined physical activity”. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 39(1), 52-58. 2007.
[33]	Chinapaw, M. J., Mokkink, L. B., van Poppel, M. N., van Mechelen, W., & Terwee, C. B, “Physical activity questionnaires for youth”. Sports Medicine, 40 (7), 539-563. 2010.
[34]	Forsén, L., Loland, N. W., Vuillemin, A., Chinapaw, M. J., van Poppel, M. N., Mokkink, L. B.,Terwee, C. B, “Self-administered physical activity questionnaires for the elderly”. Sports Medicine, 40(7), 601-623. 2010.
[35]	Van Poppel, M. N., Chinapaw, M. J., Mokkink, L. B., Van Mechelen, W., Terwee, C. B. “Physical activity questionnaires for adults”. Sports medicine, 40(7), 565-600. 2010.
[36]	Lee, P. H., Yu, Y. Y., McDowell, I., Leung, G. M., Lam, T. H., & Stewart, S. M, “Performance of the international physical activity questionnaire (short form) in subgroups of the Hong Kong Chinese population”. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 8 (1), 81. 2011.
[37]	Boon, R. M., Hamlin, M. J., Steel, G. D., Ross, J. J, “Validation of the New Zealand physical activity questionnaire (NZPAQ-LF) and the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ-LF) with accelerometry”. British journal of sports medicine, 44:741-6. 2010.
[38]	Oyeyemi, A. L., Umar, M., Oguche, F., Aliyu, S. U., & Oyeyemi, A. Y, “Accelerometer-determined physical activity and its comparison with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in a sample of Nigerian adults”. PloS one, 9(1), e87233. 2014.
[39]	Kim, Y., Park, I., Kang, M, “Convergent validity of the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ): meta-analysis”. Public health nutrition, 16(3), 440-452. 2013.