Global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ): nine country reliability and validity study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• International physical activity surveillance requires validated assessment instruments.
• The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) is a tool for monitoring physical activity.
• Assessing the reliability and validity of GPAQ is crucial for its widespread adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the GPAQ.
• To compare GPAQ with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
• To determine GPAQ's suitability for international physical activity surveillance.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 2657 adults from diverse backgrounds across 9 countries.
• Administered GPAQ and IPAQ on multiple occasions.
• Assessed criterion validity using objective measures (pedometers/accelerometers) in 8 countries.

Main Results:

• GPAQ demonstrated moderate to substantial reliability (Kappa 0.67-0.73; rho 0.67-0.81).
• Concurrent validity between GPAQ and IPAQ showed moderate to strong positive correlations (0.45-0.65).
• Criterion validity results were poor to fair (0.06-0.35), with variations across demographic groups and countries.

Conclusions:

• GPAQ provides reproducible data and correlates well with IPAQ.
• Despite poor criterion validity, GPAQ is deemed acceptable for population health surveillance.
• Further validation studies in diverse international settings are recommended.