Validity and Reliability of Short Physical Activity History: Cardia and the Minnesota Heart Health Program

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Accurate assessment of physical activity is crucial for understanding its impact on health.
• Existing physical activity questionnaires vary in length and detail, impacting their utility in large-scale studies.
• A brief, reliable, and valid tool is needed for assessing leisure-time physical activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the validity and reliability of a short physical activity history questionnaire.
• To determine if the questionnaire accurately reflects physical activity levels in a diverse population.
• To evaluate the questionnaire's suitability for use in epidemiological research.

Main Methods:

• Validity was assessed in 5069 adults (18-30 years) by correlating questionnaire results with skinfold thickness, caloric intake, maximal exercise test duration, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
• Reliability was assessed in 129 adults by comparing test-retest results over a two-week period.
• The questionnaire queried common leisure-time activities performed in the past 12 months.

Main Results:

• Validity correlations showed expected inverse relationships with skinfold thickness and positive relationships with exercise duration and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
• Test-retest reliability coefficients for summary scores ranged from 0.77 to 0.84, indicating good consistency.
• Reliability for individual activity groupings was at least 0.57, demonstrating moderate to good reliability for specific activities.

Conclusions:

• The short physical activity history questionnaire demonstrates acceptable validity and good reliability for assessing leisure-time physical activity.
• The questionnaire is a time-efficient tool (5-10 minutes) for collecting moderately detailed physical activity data.
• This tool is suitable for use in large epidemiological studies and public health research.