Validating MOSPA questionnaire for measuring physical activity in Pakistani women

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Physical Activity Measurement

Background:

• Accurate population-level physical activity data is crucial for health promotion.
• Limited data exists on physical activity measurement in developing countries.
• The study aimed to validate the Monica Optional Study of Physical Activity (MOSPA) questionnaire.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the MOSPA questionnaire for assessing physical activity.
• To evaluate the MOSPA questionnaire's utility in a Pakistani population.
• To compare MOSPA questionnaire data with accelerometer measurements.

Main Methods:

• Validated the MOSPA long-term (LT) and short-term (ST) questionnaires.
• Compared questionnaire data with Caltrac accelerometer estimates of energy expenditure (EE).
• Assessed 50 pregnant women at Aga Khan University hospital, Pakistan.

Main Results:

• MOSPA LT and ST questionnaires showed reasonable correlation with Caltrac accelerometer data (r=0.51, r=0.60).
• Questionnaire-derived EE was higher than accelerometer-derived EE.
• No correlation was found between questionnaire data and body composition measures.

Conclusions:

• The MOSPA questionnaire is a useful tool for assessing physical activity over a one-year period.
• The questionnaire is suitable for use in sedentary populations.
• Findings support the use of MOSPA for population-level health monitoring.