Abstract
BackgroundThe Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) has been recommended for the international tracking of physical activity (PA). This study aimed to investigate the agreement between the GPAQ and accelerometry, as well as the test–retest reliability of the GPAQ in Saudi college-age men.MethodsThe participants included 62 male students, aged 20.0 ± 1.1 year, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.1 ± 6.3 kg/m2. This study used a cross-sectional comparison of measures design. Participants completed the GPAQ twice (2 weeks apart) and wore accelerometers for seven consecutive days.ResultsThe agreement between the GPAQ and accelerometry for moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was weak (r ≤ 0.32). Participants underreported sedentary time relative to accelerometer measurements (∆ = 3.4 h/day). BMI was statistically associated with increased bias between the two methods. However, correlations between the GPAQ test and retest for MVPA and sedentary time were moderate to strong (r = 0.44–0.78).ConclusionThe GPAQ is reliable, but had low agreement with accelerometry for estimating MVPA, and very low agreement with accelerometry for estimating sedentary time in college-age Saudi men. Individual participant characteristics should be considered when using the GPAQ to estimate sedentary time. Adapting the current GPAQ to build a regional PA questionnaire is recommended.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-016-2242-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) has been recommended for the international tracking of physical activity (PA)
Validity of the GPAQ was examined against direct and indirect criterion measures among American adults, and the results showed that reported moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was inversely related to percent body fat and waist circumference, and positively related to maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), and measured MVPA, increasing bias with higher levels of overreporting of PA was observed [6]
It should be noted that the 1st quartile of all PA patterns indicates that 25 % of participants scored zero; these scores were consistent in the retest
Summary
The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) has been recommended for the international tracking of physical activity (PA). Age- and sex-based PA patterns are similar between objective and subjective measures, but self-reported PA substantially overestimates accelerometer-measured PA [1]. This lack of agreement between self-reported and objective measure of PA increases the probability of misinterpretation of epidemiological research, which could lead to improper public health program design. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) to estimate PA, which is especially relevant in developing countries. For this purpose, a WHO expert working group on PA measurement provided a revised draft of the GPAQ for global evaluation.
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