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VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF COMMONLY USED SELF-REPORT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR INSTRUMENTS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-report instruments are commonly used to assess physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SED) among college students, yet limited evidence exists comparing instruments to determine which provide the most valid and reliable estimates in this cohort. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of several commonly used self-report PA and SED instruments among college students. METHODS: Students (n=98; 70% female; 19.8±1.4 yrs) completed the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form (IPAQ-L) and Short Form (IPAQ-S), Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ), Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ), and SIT-Q on 2 occasions separated by 7-8 days. Participants wore devices at the waist (ActiGraph GT9X Link) and on the thigh (activPAL3) to objectively assess PA and SED, respectively, over the 7-8 days between administrations of the self-report instruments. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman’s rho to compare responses from the second administration of the instruments to the associated variables from the devices. Mean absolute error (MAE) was calculated for variables from self-report instruments using the devices as the comparison. RESULTS: For total PA (METmin/wk), reliability was highest for IPAQ-L and IPAQ-S (both ICC=0.63). IPAQ-S showed the highest reliability for moderate- to vigorous PA (ICC=0.74). Reliability for SED was highest from the SBQ (ICC=0.83). For MVPA, validity was highest for GPAQ (ρ=0.390) and lowest for IPAQ-L (ρ=0.256). For SED, validity was highest for IPAQ-L (ρ=0.284) and lowest for SBQ (ρ=-0.149). MAE for MVPA and SED was lowest for IPAQ-L (208.4 min and 1.9 hr, respectively). CONLUSIONS: Overall, reliability was moderate to good and validity was poor for the self-report instruments, which aligns with results from previous investigations in general adult populations. Researchers seeking to assess PA and SED among college students should be aware of the differences in reliability and validity among the most commonly used self-report instruments. It is suggested that researchers determine the most important outcomes for their specific research question (e.g., total PA, MVPA, etc.) and select an instrument that will provide the highest level of validity and reliability for those metrics.

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