[Measurement of physical activity in older adults. Correlation between the PRISCUS-PAQ and accelerometry]

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Physical Activity Measurement
• Health Assessment

Background:

• The PRISCUS-PAQ is a German questionnaire designed for telephone interviews to assess physical activity in older adults.
• It quantifies time spent on domestic, sporting, and sedentary activities over the past week.
• A total score reflects weekly energy expenditure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity of the PRISCUS-PAQ by comparing its total score with objective accelerometry data.
• To establish the correlation between self-reported physical activity via PRISCUS-PAQ and measured activity.

Main Methods:

• 114 older adults (mean age 76 years, 58% women) participated.
• Spearman correlation coefficient was used to compare PRISCUS-PAQ total scores with accelerometer data over one week.
• Descriptive analysis of PRISCUS-PAQ was performed.

Main Results:

• A correlation coefficient of r = 0.28 (95% CI 0.10–0.44) was found between PRISCUS-PAQ and accelerometry.
• Domestic activities, such as cleaning, significantly contributed to participants' weekly energy consumption.

Conclusions:

• The PRISCUS-PAQ demonstrates a comparable association with accelerometry-measured physical activity to other established international questionnaires.
• It is the first German questionnaire enabling telephone-based measurement of physical activity in older adults.
• The questionnaire effectively captures the contribution of daily life activities to energy expenditure.