Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026
Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: August 24, 2019
Application of the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ) to office based workers
Jonine Jancey1, Marian Tye, Sarah McGann
1Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Public Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth 6845, Western Australia. j.jancey@curtin.edu.au.
Background:
The workplace is a setting where sedentary behaviour is highly prevalent. Accurately measuring physical activity and sedentary behaviour is crucial to assess the impact of behavioural change interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and criterion validity of the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ) and compare with data collected by accelerometers.
Methods:
A test-retest study was undertaken on 99 participants using the OSPAQ. Data were then compared to accelerometer records of 41 participants. Reliability was assessed by paired t-test and intra-class correlations (ICC) via a two-way mixed model based on absolute agreement. Difference and agreement were measured by comparison of mean self-reported data with accelerometer data using the Pearson's correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots.
Results:
The ICCs for minutes spent sitting (0.66), standing (0.83) and walking (0.77) showed moderate to strong test-retest reliability. No significant differences were found between the repeated measurements taken seven days apart. Correlations with the accelerometer readings were moderate. The Bland-Altman plots showed moderate agreement for standing time and walking time but systematic variation for sedentary time.
Conclusion:
The OSPAQ appears to have acceptable reliability and validity measurement properties for application in the office workplace setting.
