Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 15, 2025
Assessment of Physical Activity Intensity with Accelerometers and Oxygen Consumption
Published on: June 20, 2025
Validation of two self-reported physical activity instruments against accelerometer data in patients undergoing lung
Marcus Jonsson1, Elisabeth Westerdahl1,2, Anders Ahlsson3
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Introduction:
Finding ways of identifying patients with low levels of physical activity after lung cancer surgery would be beneficial when planning and providing interventions aimed at increasing physical activity.
Purpose:
To validate two self-reported physical activity instruments against accelerometer data.
Methods:
Self-reported physical activity was assessed with the four category One Month Physical Activity Question (OMPAQ) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire modified for the elderly (IPAQ-E). Objective measurement of physical activity was performed with the Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer. All measurements were performed three months after lung cancer surgery.
Results:
Three months after surgery, 83 patients provided complete physical activity measurements. There were statistically significant correlations between both of the self-reported physical activity assessed by OMPAQ (r = 0.54, p < .01) as well as IPAQ-E (r = 0.50, p < .01) and objectively measured physical activity (steps/day). The correlations were consistently stronger for the higher intensities of physical activity. Both instruments could identify patients not reaching the recommended levels of physical activity.
Conclusion:
Both OMPAQ and IPAQ-E give valid information on physical activity after lung cancer surgery, and might be used for screening patients in clinical settings. The OMPAQ provided stronger correlation and specificity than the IPAQ-E, and might be the preferred clinical choice.
