Evaluation of a questionnaire to assess sedentary and active behaviors in the Southern Community Cohort Study

• Published in: Journal of physical activity & health Vol. 9; no. 6; p. 765
• Main Authors: Buchowski, Maciej S, Matthews, Charles E, Cohen, Sarah S, Signorello, Lisa B, Fowke, Jay H, Hargreaves, Margaret K, Schlundt, David G, Blot, William J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2012
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Aged; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Exercise; Female; Health Behavior - ethnology; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Life Style; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Reproducibility of Results; Southeastern United States; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Southeastern United States
• ISSN: 1543-5474
• DOI: 10.1123/jpah.9.6.765

Low physical activity (PA) is linked to cancer and other diseases prevalent in racial/ethnic minorities and low-income populations. This study evaluated the PA questionnaire (PAQ) used in the Southern Cohort Community Study, a prospective investigation of health disparities between African-American and white adults. The PAQ was administered upon entry into the cohort (PAQ1) and after 12-15 months (PAQ2) in 118 participants (40-60 year-old, 48% male, 74% African-American). Test-retest reliability (PAQ1 versus PAQ2) was assessed using Spearman correlations and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Criterion validity of the PAQ was assessed via comparison with a PA monitor and a last-month PA survey (LMPAS), administered up to 4 times in the study period. The PAQ test-retest reliability ranged from 0.25-0.54 for sedentary behaviors and 0.22-0.47 for active behaviors. The criterion validity for the PAQ compared with PA monitor ranged from 0.21-0.24 for sedentary behaviors and from 0.17-0.31 for active behaviors. There was general consistency in the magnitude of correlations between the PAQ and PA-monitor between African-Americans and whites. The SCCS-PAQ has fair to moderate test-retest reliability and demonstrated some evidence of criterion validity for ranking participants by their level of sedentary and active behaviors.