Validity and responsiveness to change of the Active Australia Survey according to gender, age, BMI, education, and physical activity level and awareness

Corneel Vandelanotte,Gregory S. Kolt,Cristina M. Caperchione,W. Kerry Mummery,Trevor N. Savage,Rob Stanton,Mitch J. Duncan,Amanda L. Rebar,Richard R. Rosenkranz

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-6717-1

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the validity of the Active Australia Survey across different subgroups and its responsiveness to change, as few previous studies have examined this.MethodsThe Active Australia Survey was validated against the ActiGraph as an objective measure of physical activity. Participants (n = 465) wore the ActiGraph for 7 days and subsequently completed the Active Australia Survey. Moderate activity, vigorous activity and total moderate and vigorous physical activity were compared using Spearman rank-order correlations. Changes in physical activity between baseline and 3-month assessments were correlated to examine responsiveness to change. The data were stratified to assess outcomes according to different subgroups (e.g., gender, age, weight, activity levels).ResultsWith regards to the validity, a significant correlation of ρ = 0.19 was found for moderate physical activity, ρ = 0.33 for vigorous physical activity and ρ = 0.23 for moderate and vigorous physical activity combined. For vigorous physical activity correlations were higher than 0.3 for most subgroups, whereas they were only higher than 0.3 in those with a healthy weight for the other activity outcomes. With regards to responsiveness to change, a correlation of ρ = 0.32 was found for moderate physical activity, ρ = 0.19 for vigorous physical activity and ρ = 0.35 for moderate and vigorous physical activity combined. For moderate and vigorous activity combined correlations were higher than 0.4 for several subgroups, but never for vigorous physical activity.ConclusionsLittle evidence for the validity of Active Australia Survey was found, although the responsiveness to change was acceptable for several subgroups. Findings from studies using the Active Australia Survey should be interpreted with caution.Trial registrationWorld Health Organisation Universal Trial Number: U111–1119-1755. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000157976. Registration date: 8 March 2011.

Highlights

This study aimed to investigate the validity of the Active Australia Survey across different subgroups and its responsiveness to change, as few previous studies have examined this
The aims of this study were: 1) to investigate the validity of the Active Australia Survey in different population subgroups from a sample of Australian adults who participated in a randomised controlled trial; and 2) to investigate the responsiveness to change of the Active Australia Survey relative to objective accelerometer assessments
The majority of the sample reported high physical activity awareness (63.5%); and optimal overlap between the ActiGraph measurement and the Active Australia Survey measurement was achieved in 55.1%

Summary

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the validity of the Active Australia Survey across different subgroups and its responsiveness to change, as few previous studies have examined this. The most used, cost-effective and feasible method of assessing physical activity in large populations is through using self-report questionnaires [3]. The accurate collection of physical activity using self-reported methods is not easy, as it depends on a number of factors. It is important to investigate the extent to which the validity of a self-report instrument varies across different populations [5]. If validity differs by population group, this has important implications for physical activity surveillance. While some studies demonstrate that self-reports can be accurate for women and older age adults [9, 10], they did not simultaneously assess validity in men and young adults.

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