The occupational sitting and physical activity questionnaire (OSPAQ): a validation study with accelerometer-assessed...

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Physical activity measurement
• Workplace ergonomics

Background:

• The Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ) is a self-report tool for assessing workplace physical activities.
• Evaluating the OSPAQ's concurrent validity against objective measures is crucial for its application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the concurrent validity of the OSPAQ against accelerometer data.
• To compare the OSPAQ's performance across sedentary and physically active professions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Flemish Employees' Physical Activity (FEPA) study.
• Collected questionnaire and accelerometer (Axivity AX3) data from 401 employees over at least two working days.
• Analyzed concurrent validity using Intraclass Correlation (ICC) and Spearman rho (r) correlations.

Main Results:

• OSPAQ demonstrated good to moderate concurrent validity for sitting (ICC=0.84, r=0.53) and standing (ICC=0.64, r=0.53).
• Concurrent validity was weak to moderate for walking (ICC=0.50, r=0.49) and weak for heavy labor (ICC=0.28, r=0.35).
• Validity varied by profession type, with underestimation of sitting/standing and overestimation of walking/heavy labor in physically active roles.

Conclusions:

• The OSPAQ is acceptable for measuring occupational sitting and standing.
• Accelerometer-based measures are recommended for assessing occupational walking and heavy labor due to poor concurrent validity.
• Further research may refine OSPAQ use or explore alternative objective measures.