Validity and Reliability of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ)

Abstract

There is limited published validity and reliability evidence to support using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Two studies were conducted to evaluate validity and reliability evidence for the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. In Study 1: 69 adults completed the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (three months apart; n = 54), International Physical Activity Questionnaire, fitness and anthropometric measures. All participants wore a pedometer and 53 participants wore an accelerometer for seven days at baseline. In Study 2, 16 adults completed the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire 10 days apart. Global Physical Activity Questionnaire moderate and vigorous minutes were correlated with the accelerometer moderate (r = 0.28) and vigorous (r = 0.48) physical activity. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and International Physical Activity Questionnaire were related for sedentary behaviors (r = 0.51), moderate-to-vigorous (r = 0.48) and vigorous (r = 0.63) PA. Global Physical Activity Questionnaire moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with percent fat (r = −0.32), estimated VO₂ max (r = 0.26), and step count (r = 0.39). The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire demonstrated graded differences across categories for step count, body mass index, waist circumference, percent fat, fitness, and accelerometer measured activity. Short-term test–retest reliability (10 days) ranged from 0.83 to 0.96 while long-term reliability (three months) was 0.53 to 0.83. These data provide low-to-moderate validity and generally acceptable reliability evidence for the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Keywords:

• accelerometer
• survey
• physical activity
• reliability
• validity

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study was funded in part by New-Lifestyles Inc. No other outside funding was received for this work.