Validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form Among Individuals With Visual Impairments

This study (a) assessed the concurrent validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) compared to accelerometer data among individuals with visual impairments (VI); (b) examined differences in validity of the IPAQ-SF among those with no usable vision (NUV) and those with some usable vision (SUV); and (c) assessed validity using both Freedson and Troiano cutpoints. Eighty adults with VI (M_age = 47.7; 62.5% female) wore waist-mounted accelerometers for seven days then completed the IPAQ-SF. For data analysis, participants were grouped by VI level as having SUV or NUV. Physical activity (PA) levels were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests, while Friedman tests assessed differences between IPAQ-SF and accelerometer-derived estimates. Chi-square tests assessed adherence to PA guidelines. Participants engaged in a median of 125.5 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA during the week. Agreement between IPAQ-SF and accelerometer-derived moderate and moderate-to-vigorous PA were moderate (ρ = 0.49 and 0.50, respectively; both p < .01) though mean absolute percent error values were high. Agreement was similar across Freedson and Troiano cutpoints (ρ range = 0.22-0.54; all p < .05) and slightly stronger among those with NUV compared to SUV. Agreement for sedentary behavior was negligible (ρ < 0.20; p > .05). Self-reported MVPA from IPAQ-SF showed weak agreement with accelerometer data for both NUV and SUV groups. Researchers should use caution when using IPAQ-SF to assess PA in this population.