Results from: “Using Accelerometer/GPS Data to Validate a Neighborhood-Adapted Version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)”
Frehlich L, Friedenreich C, Nettel-Aguirre A, Schipperijn J, McCormack GR
Measuring neighbourhood physical activity
Neighbourhood environments have been shown to impact individual physical activity levels. Understanding people’s physical activity habits in their neighbourhood is important for informing population public health efforts that seek to improve societal levels of physical activity. Population health researchers have developed tools to measure neighbourhood based physical activity including the self-reported Neighbourhood-International Physical Activity Questionnaire (N-IPAQ) (1,2). However, one’s neighbourhood can be defined or perceived as many different geographical areas depending on who is giving the definition.
Assessing the N-IPAQ
The N-IPAQ was recently assessed for its validity as a self-reported measure of neighbourhood based physical activity. The N-IPAQ showed that on average when a resident is left to define their own neighbourhood, they define their neighbourhood as a 400 meter buffer (approximately a 5-minute walk) around their home. Results from the N-IPAQ were in agreement with physical activity data collected from accelerometers that collect how much activity a person completed, and global positioning devices (GPS) that collect where a person was physically active. The N-IPAQ was found to be a valid self-reported questionnaire to evaluate neighbourhood based physical activity interventions around a 400 meter buffer from a resident home. This is an important finding for informing population public health efforts and modifying neighbourhoods to become more supportive for physical activity.
Suggested Citation: Frehlich L, Friedenreich C, Nettel-Aguirre A, Schipperijn J, McCormack GR. Using accelerometer/GPS data to validate a neighborhood-adapted version of the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour. 2018 Dec 1;1(4):181-90.
References
McCormack GR, Shiell A, Doyle-Baker PK, Friedenreich C, Sandalack B, Giles-Corti B. Testing the reliability of neighborhood-specific measures of physical activity among Canadian adults. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 2009 May 1;6(3):367-73.
Frehlich L, Friedenreich C, Nettel-Aguirre A, McCormack GR. Test-retest reliability of a modified International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to capture neighbourhood physical activity. Journal of Human Sport & Exercise;13(1):174–187.
Posted December 6, 2019
Written by Levi Frehlich
Infographic by Levi Frehlich
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