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Published on: March 7, 2019
Measurement properties of the CHAMPS physical activity questionnaire in a sample of older Australians
E V Cyarto1, A L Marshall, R K Dickinson
1School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Qld. 4072, Australia. ecyarto@hms.uq.edu.au
Background:
The effective evaluation of physical activity interventions for older adults requires measurement instruments with acceptable psychometric properties that are sufficiently sensitive to detect changes in this population.
Aim:
To assess the measurement properties (reliability and validity) of the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire in a sample of older Australians.
Methods:
CHAMPS data were collected from 167 older adults (mean age 79.1 S.D. 6.3 years) and validated with tests of physical ability and the SF-12 measures of physical and mental health. Responses from a sub-sample of 43 older adults were used to assess 1-week test-retest reliability.
Results:
Approximately 25% of participants needed assistance to complete the CHAMPS questionnaire. There were low but significant correlations between the CHAMPS scores and the physical performance measures (rho=0.14-0.32) and the physical health scale of the SF-12 (rho=0.12-0.24). Reliability coefficients were highest for moderate-intensity (ICC=0.81-0.88) and lowest for vigorous-intensity physical activity (ICC=0.34-0.45). Agreement between test-retest estimates of sufficient physical activity for health benefits (> or =150min and > or =5 sessions per week) was high (percent agreement=88% and Cohen's kappa=0.68).
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that the CHAMPS questionnaire has acceptable measurement properties, and is therefore suitable for use among older Australian adults, as long as adequate assistance is provided during administration.
