HSR&D » For_researchers » Measurement » Instrument » Overviews

  

Enter your search text Search HSR&D: Button to start search

Instrument Summary for Physical Activity

Please note that this section is an archive and is no longer being updated.

Development: Paffenbarger and colleagues originally developed a physical activity questionnaire for use in an epidemiological study of heart attack risk factors in a cohort of male college alumni; a description is published in the 1978 paper including that study's initial findings. The Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire consists of three questions that ask the respondent to recall the number of blocks walked, the number of flights of stairs climbed, and the type and duration of sports they engaged in during the preceding week.

Purpose: The Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire assesses energy expenditure from physical activity specific to walking, climbing stairs, and participating in leisure time sports.

Useful Facts: The Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire may be self-administered or given as an interview. Responses are converted to measures of energy expenditure (kcal) based on estimates of energy requirements for different physical activities. Energy expenditure for different types of activity may be analyzed separately or summed to give a composite score. Research on the Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire has supported its reliability and association with anthropometric and cardiac risk measures. The scale has been alternatively referenced in the literature as the "Harvard Alumni Activity Survey" and the "Harvard Physical Activity Questionnaire."

VA Relevance: The Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire has been used among the veteran population.

Availability: The instrument may be found in Measuring Physical Activity and Energy Expenditure (Henry J. Montoye, Han C. G. Kemper, Wim H. M. Saris, Richard A. Washburn, 1996), available from Human Kinetics online.

References:

1. Paffenbarger RS, Wing AL, Hyde RT. Physical activity as an index of heart attach risk in college alumni. Am J Epidemiol 1978;108:161-175. [Abstract ]
2. Washburn RA, Smith KW, Goldfield SR, McKinlay JC. Reliability and physiologic correlates of the Harvard Activity Survey in a general population. J Clin Epidemiol 1991;44:1319-1326. [Abstract ]
3. Kriska A, Caspersen CJ (Eds). A collection of physical activity questionnaires for health-related research [special issue]. Med Sci Sport Exerc 1997;29(Suppl). [Abstract ]

Development: Taylor and colleagues developed the Minnesota Leisure-Time Physical Activity (MLTPA) Questionnaire in 1978 to measure physical activity as an indicator of cardiac risk. The format of the questionnaire was based on the much lengthier physical activity interview used in the Tecumseh Health Study. The MLTPA assesses respondents' participation in 62 activities of varying intensity.

Purpose: The MLTPA assesses the type, frequency, and duration of participation in a range of physical activities during the past year.

Useful Facts: The MLTPA is administered by a trained interviewer and requires approximately 20 minutes to complete. Respondents are asked their level of participation in a series of activities that includes walking, household work (e.g., mowing the lawn, carpentry), and sports (e.g., running, basketball, golf) over the past 12 months. Responses are converted to a total activity metabolic index based on estimates of energy expenditure associated with each activity. The MLTPA has been referenced elsewhere in the literature as the "Taylor Leisure Time Activity" questionnaire. A Spanish translation of the MLTPA has been validated.

VA Relevance: The MLTPA questionnaire has been used among the veteran population.

Availability: The instrument may be found in the supplement by Kriska AM et al.⁴

References:

1. Taylor HL, Jaocbs DR Jr, Schucker B, Kudsen J, Leon AS, Debacker G. A questionnaire for the assessment of leisure time physical activities. J Chron Dis 1978;31:741-755. [Abstract ]
2. Washburn RA, Montoye HJ. The assessment of physical activity by questionnaire. Am J Epidemiol 1986;123:563-576. [Abstract ]
3. Richardson MT, Leon AS, Jacobs DR Jr, Ainsworth BE, Serfass R. Comprehensive evaluation of the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire. J Clin Epidemiol 1994;47:271-281. [Abstract ]
4. Kriska A, Caspersen CJ (Eds). A collection of physical activity questionnaires for health-related research [special issue]. Med Sci Sport Exerc 1997;29(Suppl). [Abstract ]

Development: The 7-Day Physical Activity Recall (PAR) interview was developed by Sallis and colleagues and published in 1985. The interview was used in conjunction with other measures in the Stanford Five-City Project, an epidemiological survey of physical activity and other health habits. The interview consists of 9 items assessing physical activities at three levels of intensity (moderate, hard, very hard) as well as sleep habits over the past 7 days.

Purpose: This instrument measures the number of hours spent in moderate to heavy physical activity (including work and leisure activities) and sleep over the preceding 7-day period.

Useful Facts: The PAR is administered by a trained interviewer and requires approximately 20 minutes to complete. Scores from the interview have been shown to moderately correlate with data from objective activity monitoring methods.^2,3 The full scale was published as an appendix to the original development article. The scale has also been referenced in the literature as the "Stanford" or "Five-City Project" interview.

VA Relevance: A version of the PAR, modified to include light physical activity, has been used in the veteran population.³

Availability: The instrument may be found in the supplement by Kriska AM et al.⁴

References:

1. Sallis JF, Haskell WL, Wood PD, Fortmann SP, Rogers T, Blair SN, Paffenbarger RS Jr. Physical activity assessment methodology in the Five-City Project. Am J Epidemiol 1985;121:91-106. [Abstract ]
2. Sallis JF, Saelens BE. Assessment of physical activity by self-report: status, limitations, and future directions. Res Q Exerc Sport 2000;71:1-14. [Abstract ]
3. Dubbert PM, Vander Weg MW, Kirchner KA, Shaw B. Evaluation of the 7-Day Physical Activity Recall in urban and rural men. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1646-1654. [Abstract ]
4. Kriska A, Caspersen CJ (Eds). A collection of physical activity questionnaires for health-related research [special issue]. Med Sci Sport Exerc 1997;29(Suppl). [Abstract ]

Development: Baecke and colleagues developed a physical activity questionnaire in response to their observations that several commonly used measures were not specifically designed to be self-administered, and the validity and reliability of those measures had not been adequately researched. The Baecke Questionnaire of Habitual Physical Activity (BQHPA) is a 16-item questionnaire that assesses physical activity in the domains of work, sport, and leisure time.

Purpose: The BQHPA is designed to measure habitual patterns of physical activity in adults.

Useful Facts: The BQHPA is self-administered. Items are scored on a 5-point scale ranging from "Never" to "Always" or "Very Often" and measure general habits over the long term rather than quantities of physical activity within a specific time frame. Several modified versions of the BQHPA have been reported in the literature, including versions for use in older adults and in specific clinical populations. The BQHPA has also been referenced in the literature as the Habitual Physical Activity Index (HPAI).

VA Relevance: The Baecke Physical Activity questionnaire has been used among the veteran population.

Availability: The instrument may be found in the supplement by Kriska AM et al.³

References:

1. Baecke JAH, Burema J, Frijters JER. A short questionnaire for the measurement of habitual physical activity in epidemiological studies. Am J Clin Nutr 1982;36:936-942. [Abstract ]
2. Pols MA, Peeters PH, Bueno-De-Mesquita HB, Ocke MC, Wentink CA, Kemper HC, Collette HJ. Validity and repeatbility of a modified Baecke questionnaire on physical activity. Int J Epidemiol 1995;24:381-388. [Abstract ]
3. Kriska A, Caspersen CJ (Eds). A collection of physical activity questionnaires for health-related research [special issue]. Med Sci Sport Exerc 1997;29(Suppl). [Abstract ]